Displaced Lebanese long for home as Hezbollah
Release time：2024-05-22 10:06:17 Source：International Identities news portal
-
BEIRUT, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Salem Hijazi, a 50-year-old man displaced from Lebanon's southern village of Aitaroun, sits with his family around a wood-burning heater in a temporary shelter in the southern city of Nabatieh, discussing ways of securing his family's urgent needs during the holy month of Ramadan. Hijazi had not anticipated that the conflict in southern Lebanon would extend into the holy month. He had wished for a ceasefire that would allow him to return to his home and observe the traditions of Ramadan with joy and tranquility. "We miss the festive mood of Ramadan, which we will not feel this year, unfortunately," he told Xinhua. Hijazi is among thousands of residents in the border region of southern Lebanon who were forced to leave their houses and migrate to safer areas due to the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, which started a day after the outbreak of the Gaza conflict between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. "We cannot enjoy the festive atmosphere of Ramadan, and I can sadly say Ramadan has become a heavy burden since we cannot even secure our basic needs away from our jobs," Mariam al-Qadi, Hijazi's wife, told Xinhua. Around 83,000 people were displaced from border areas in southern Lebanon, and half of them are women and children, according to official estimates. Out of the displaced population, only around 3,000 individuals were housed in shelter centers located in the southern cities of Tyre, Nabatieh, and Hasbaya, while the remainder either rented accommodations or sought refuge with relatives. Salima Abou Hamid, a lady in her 30s, closed her shop in the southern town of Bint Jbeil, and sought refuge in Tyre. She longs for the communal Ramadan experience with her neighbors in her hometown, where they come together to recite Quran verses and break their fasts together in the spiritual month. "The war has ruined our festive mood during Ramadan, and we are no longer able to afford our basic food needs after we lost our businesses," she said. The conflict on Lebanon's southern border is taking place at a time when the country is suffering from an unprecedented economic crisis that plunged 80 percent of its population into poverty. The cash-strapped government has limited capacity to assist the tens of thousands of Lebanese displaced from border areas, leaving civil societies, associations and philanthropists to fill the gap. Sheikh Hassan Dallah, the mufti of Hasbaya and Marjeyoun in Lebanon, told Xinhua he had reached out to local and international philanthropists to provide financial support to secure food for the families in need, which totaled 1,600 in southeast Lebanon. Jamil Daher, head of the al-Aman Foundation, which means "Security" in Arabic, told Xinhua his foundation is providing 500 meals daily this year for displaced individuals from border areas. Mortada Mhanna, head of the disaster unit at the Union of Tyre Municipalities, mentioned that he had contacted international agencies to ensure the provision of daily meals from a communal kitchen in Tyre to the displaced individuals residing in shelters in southeast Lebanon.
（Editor:Wang Su）
- Previous：Election 2024: Nikki Haley faces a key decision on whether or not to endorse Trump
- Next：At least 6 Egyptian women die after vehicle slides off ferry and plunges into Nile River
Related articles
- France hits go
- China to enhance coordination with Arab League: Chinese FM
- Crosby scores 42nd goal, Penguins keep playoff hopes alive with 4
- This Morning's Alison Hammond cosies up to mystery man as pals claim she's 'never been happier'
- Landmark Paris trial of Syrian officials accused of torturing, killing a father and his son starts
- Inside the lab where volunteers are paid £14,000 to lie upside down for 60 days NON
- Belarus, Azerbaijan to strengthen bilateral cooperation
- China to strengthen capital market regulation, risk prevention
- Thailand welcomes the return of trafficked antiquities from New York's Metropolitan Museum
- MPs are urged to finally pass the Rwanda bill after 535 migrants cross the Channel on Sunday
- Hush money trial: Trump witness Costello back on the stand after admonishment
- China's Q1 foreign trade surge signals economic upturn
- Vo Thi Anh Xuan named as Vietnamese acting president
- Canadian gov't announces plan to solve national housing crisis
- Vatican makes fresh overture to China, reaffirms that Catholic Church is no threat to sovereignty
- Record foreign visitors to Japan reported in February
- The marathon task of trying America's most famous man: Trump 'smirked' as he became the first ex
- China's Q1 foreign trade surge signals economic upturn
- Trump visits Minnesota after son Barron's Florida high school graduation
- Lorenzen goes 5 innings in Texas debut as Rangers blank Tigers 1
Random recommendation
Rwanda makes progress in fight against tuberculosis: officialChina to expedite patent application review processFinal survivor of USS Arizona after Pearl Harbor attack dies at 102Bahraini marathon runner Kimutai suspended three years for dopingBangladesh mulls to suspend services of Facebook, YouTube: ministerChinese mainland warns against Taiwan military's provocationsChina sees steady progress in diagnosis, treatment system: health officialEurozone inflation further cools in MarchBodies of foreign aid workers transferred to Egypt from GazaChina's Qinghai sees significant growth in green coverage in 2023
- Copyright © 2024 Powered by Displaced Lebanese long for home as Hezbollah ,International Identities news portal sitemap