residents of southern Lebanon flee Israeli bombings

residents of southern Lebanon flee Israeli bombings

In recent days, Israeli bombings have left more than 1,000 dead and thousands injured. More than a million Lebanese, or one in five inhabitants, have had to flee their homes to take refuge in schools, shelters or sometimes even outside in public spaces. This is a massive forced population displacement.

2 mins

With our correspondent in Beirut, Sophie Guignon

For 5 days, Jinane fled her village of Kfar Melki, about fifty kilometers south of Beirut with her three children. All the places where she has since found refuge have been bombed by the Israeli air force.

In yet another attempt to find shelter, the family slept on the ground on the Beirut Corniche.

We escaped death five times, a window shattered on my son. Missiles were falling everywhere, we couldn’t do anything, neither escape nor return. », says Jinane. “ I no longer have a mind. If I tell you what’s going on inside me, I can’t stand on my feet anymore. My daughter started crying, everyone was screaming. »

Traumatized children

Jinane also takes care of her nephews: Hassan, 9 years old, and Fatima, 12 years old. They are traumatized by the horror scenes they experienced.

Planes exceed the sound barrier every day here, every day there are bombings, even here as we speak. We saw the windows exploding, the children crying », said the little boy. “ At our house, the whole house is broken », adds Fatima.

Jinane and her family wonder if one day they will be able to return to their home in peace. Like more than a million Lebanese, they are seeking refuge, hoping for a rapid ceasefire.

Also readLebanon: Israeli bombings cause massive exodus to Syria

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