HI's team members displaced by bombing in Lebanon

Since September 23, 2024, southern Lebanon, the Bekaa plain, Mount Lebanon and Beirut have been the target of continuous airstrikes by the Israeli military. Half of Humanity & Inclusion's 87 staff in Lebanon have been forced to flee the violence and are now looking for temporary accommodation. Three HI team members share their personal experiences:

Fatima Wehbe, HI deminer:

“We left our house in the south in a split second. At 10:30, we saw the first bombing right next to our house, and we immediately left with my five children. It was so loud, so terrifying. We were welcomed along with around 120 other people in a village in the Chouf area, where we are staying in an old school. It took us 9 hours to get here, though it normally takes less than an hour. The mayor opened and cleaned the school for us, providing blankets and mattresses. It's manageable. We only have bottled water for washing up, but we can get food from the villagers. I don’t know how long we’ll be staying here. We want to rent an apartment nearby, but it’s very expensive. We can still hear the bombing in the distance; it wakes us up at night and continues to terrify many people.” 

Malak Al-Shami, HI paramedic: 

"I was at the office with the rest of the team when we heard the first bombing on Monday morning. We were dismissed, and I just had time to go back home, grab a few things, and leave the place. I took my passport, ID, a bit of money, and some clothes, and that was it. No time to think. We headed north by car to the Chouf area, where some friends could welcome us into their house—me, my son, my husband, and some relatives. I haven’t slept for three days. Too much stress. We cannot go back, and I do not know where we will be in the coming days. I have never experienced anything like this. The bombing was really intense. It’s not like watching a bombing in a video. The sound and the tremors. I was terrified. The road we took to get to my friend's house was bombed every two kilometers. It was hell. I do not want to live through that again."  

Ali Mehyeddin, HI Risk Education Team Leader:

"Monday, we left our home in southern Lebanon and took shelter in Beirut, where my wife's family left their house for us. We are now safe, I believe, but Monday was truly the scariest day of my life. My wife, our two children, and I left our house, witnessing bombs dropping near both our home and my parents' house. I thought they were dead, but thankfully, they are safe and with us here in Beirut. It took us 6 hours to reach our new place, though it’s normally a 1-hour trip. The road was packed, jammed with people panicking, crying, and fleeing the bombing. I have never experienced anything like that. The villages along the way were being bombed, and all the cars stopped, waiting for the shelling to subside. When it did, we all hurried back to our cars to continue the journey. We are safe now, but I cannot sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see the bombing."

Humanity & Inclusion prioritizes staff safety and is making efforts to support displaced team members. HI's teams, operating in Lebanon since 1992, are adapting activities to deliver emergency aid to displaced individuals.

"Among the displaced, those who are elderly—often with reduced mobility, disabled or wounded are the worst affected by the current situation," explains Aurélien Thienpont, HI's Lebanon Country Director. "Providing them with mobility aids, rehabilitation care and the necessary psychological support is one of our priority interventions.”

Donate to HI's Lebanon Emergency Relief Fund today.