Besides the human casualties and material damage, Israel’s war with Hezbollah is causing mass movements of people in a country where demography is always a very sensitive topic, which could cause problems in the future.
As Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon continues, those who have been displaced by the bombings and the ones hosting and caring for them are showing signs of physical and psychological exhaustion, says Marielle Boutros, project coordinator for the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Lebanon.
“At the moment we have 1.5 million displaced people, that is one in every four citizens in the country, mostly concentrated in the Mount Lebanon region. They are welcomed in shelters such as schools, churches, retreat centres, or private houses. They need everything: food, medication, water, clothes, sanitary products, because they left their houses very quickly and didn’t take things with them,” she explains.
With many of the refugees fleeing to Christian areas, local dioceses have been on the front line of providing assistance. However, with no state-level planning in sight, this generosity risks depleting financial and material supplies which have already been strained by years of financial crisis aggravated by political deadlock and the explosion at the Beirut Port in 2020: “The Church had a very quick response and is still welcoming the people with a large smile and lots of charity, but although they are doing a great job, you can feel that they are tired, because this didn’t start on 22 September, it started a long time before,” Boutros says.
“They were already struggling with their missions, but we should not forget that they lost their savings in the 2019 financial crisis and despite this they have continued with most of their other pastoral services, and they have salaries to pay. It is really overwhelming, especially if you consider the amount of work and the fact that they have no fixed income.”
“The people welcoming the IDPs are tired because of the work and the lack of resources, but the IDPs are also very tired, far from their homes, with greater needs, angry and afraid. So, fatigue is very noticeable now, and will escalate even more, between those welcoming and the IDPs.”
On the other hand, she explains, there is a serious concern that rising tensions between people, and especially between different religious groups, could set the stage for future conflicts in Lebanon.
Although Israel claims to be exclusively targeting Hezbollah operatives, there is an ever-present risk of falling victim to collateral damage, Marielle Boutros explains. “We are free to move, but it can be dangerous on the roads, as sometimes the Israelis target Hezbollah operatives in cars, so you can be driving and the car next to you might be struck. Just last week, a car was hit on a road I take daily. It is frustrating, you don’t know if the car next to you, or your neighbour in your street, might be Hezbollah.”
Already, some Lebanese are wary of welcoming refugees from the south of the country, for fear that they could attract attacks in their own neighbourhoods, she adds.
As IDPs, especially in the region of Mount Lebanon and northern Lebanon, brace for a difficult winter, there is no telling when the war will end, and, if it does end, when people will be able to return to their homes in the south, says Boutros. Christians are likely to return more quickly, since their villages and homes have suffered less damage, but many Shia areas have been completely levelled. Marielle Boutros estimates that if there is international aid, it might take a year to rebuild people’s homes, but without it the crisis will be severe, since most people lost what savings they had in the 2019 financial crisis, and their homes, now destroyed, were their only real asset.
The widespread destruction of infrastructure, and mass movement of communities, also risks destabilising Lebanon’s demography, which in a country so divided into different religious groups, is always a very sensitive topic.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) also responded to the crisis quickly, and currently has 15 projects with the most affected dioceses and religious orders that are taking care of IDPs. Catholic schools, which have all remained open, either physically or online, remain a major priority for ACN, because many families are unable to pay fees, but teachers still need to get their salaries at the end of the month.
“If we want to strengthen Christian communities in the region, we have to focus on the Christian institutions in Lebanon. Besides all the pastoral work already being done by the dioceses and religious orders, the educational system is very important. If there is something standing in Lebanon right now, it is the Catholic schools,” Marielle Boutros explains.
Those who have been receiving ACN’s help are deeply grateful: “They are very, very tired. We need to pray for these heroes, they must be strong in faith to be able to keep this up, because, although it is not their fight, they are living their faith to the end.”
By Filipe d’Avillez.
