UN High Commissioner calls for greater international support to stem humanitarian catastrophe in Lebanon

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called on Sunday for greater international support to stem the humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Lebanon.

“Two weeks of deadly Israeli airstrikes have killed hundreds and forced over a million people to flee their homes,” according to a press release issued by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

“I’ve witnessed today the tragic toll this war is taking on entire communities,” said Grandi, adding “International humanitarian law must be respected and cannot be ignored. Families have been left homeless, stranded in the open air with traumatized children unable to understand what’s happening.”

People should not pay the price for the abysmal failure to find political solutions and end this vicious cycle of violence, Grandi said.

With large numbers of people displaced within the country in just two weeks, government-run shelters are overwhelmed, UNHCR said in the press release, stressing that the international community must significantly increase funding in order for humanitarians to respond adequately.

Lebanon is facing a large-scale Israeli aggression that has targeted numerous towns and villages along the border, as well as critical infrastructure, resulting in thousands of Lebanese civilian casualties. The attacks have also forced over a million people to flee their homes.