More than 30,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon after Israeli airstrikes hit the capital city of Beirut March 2 and prompted evacuations, according to the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
ACN explained in a March 3 press release that roughly 50 villages were told to evacuate, creating an exodus that quickly overwhelmed the roads in southern Lebanon and caused traffic jams that lasted for hours. According to a March 3 report from Reuters, the United Nations Refugee Agency estimated that nearly 30,000 people registered at displacement shelters, but said that total did not account for those who slept in their cars or were still trapped in traffic. The number of displaced is expected to grow much larger, especially as refugees from other countries, such as Syria, cross the border and seek shelter in Lebanon.
ACN said that it kept in contact with bishops and religious communities in the area during the evacuations to offer help. Two Greek Melkite archbishops, Elie Haddad of Saida and Georges Iskandar of Tyre, said that their parish centers and church facilities are already sheltering displaced Christian families. Archbishop Iskandar said about 800 Christian families in his archeparchy may require assistance if the strikes continue.
He described the sentiments of people in the area, saying “People are exhausted; they fear for their children and their future; they yearn for a simple and ordinary life: that a child may go to school without fear, that an elderly person may sleep peacefully in his home, that a father and mother may work for their daily bread in dignity.”
Archbishop Iskandar said his “foremost concern” is to remain among the people and minister to them, reminding them “that their dignity is safeguarded in the sight of God, and that Christian hope is not built upon balances of power but upon faith in the Lord of history, who wills peace for His people.”
In other areas, more bishops and religious sisters have pledged to take care of refugees, but worry that limited resources might make it difficult to support them. According to ACN, “Several dioceses have indicated that if the escalation continues, they may be forced to seek international assistance to provide food, emergency kits, and basic support to displaced families.”