'Extremely volatile': Region cannot afford new Lebanon crisis, warns Oxfam

Oxfam has urged the international community to condemn Israeli actions in Lebanon and take bold steps to stop the war, as relentless Israeli bombing and ground attacks create another "humanitarian catastrophe."

"Israel continues to act with impunity, and it must be held to account for its actions in both Lebanon and Gaza.

"All parties must abide by international humanitarian law and held to account where potential violations may be involved," it said in a press release in the wake of escalating cross-border attacks and reports of ground incursions by Israel.

Tel Aviv's attacks on its northern neighbor are causing an unprecedented displacement crisis, while the scale of the devastation and the ferocity of the attacks, "is unlike anything I've ever seen," Oxfam's Lebanon Director Bachir Ayoub told Anadolu.

"Oxfam has been calling for an immediate cease-fire and the cessation of hostilities and protection of civilians, right from the beginning, I think that's becoming more and more urgent, considering how it's developing," he said.

Ayoub noted that the Israeli attack on Lebanon "was predictable and avoidable," stemming from the failure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. Lebanon, he said, has faced crisis after crisis for decades without ever fully recovering.

"This latest emergency will only deepen the existing challenges facing the people of Lebanon and further destabilize an already volatile region," Ayoub warned.

According to Oxfam, the spread of hostilities into Lebanon has caused immense damage to civilian infrastructure and resulted in "tragic loss of life."

"Lebanon and the region cannot afford to bear the weight of this crisis. This broader regional escalation underscores the urgent need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza," the statement added.

Ayoub also highlighted the rising toll of devastation and displacement in Lebanon, which worsens each day. Israel's recent escalation, including a ground offensive, has devastated southern Lebanon, triggering mass displacement and deepening the crisis.

Israel escalated its conflict with Lebanon last month, devastating the southern part of the country and triggering mass displacement. However, now that Tel Aviv has begun a ground offensive in the Middle Eastern country, the crisis will get much worse.

SITUATION EXTREMELY VOLATILE

Since last October, Lebanese and Palestinian armed groups have exchanged cross-border fire with Israel's military, displacing civilians.

Ayoub stressed that Oxfam's focus is on the rising number of internally displaced people from heavily impacted areas.

"With every new event, whether it's a ground invasion or an increase of airstrikes, as Oxfam, our focus has been on the dramatic increase in the number of people that are leaving the areas that are most impacted," he said.

He added that more than 1 million people have been displaced, placing strain on existing shelters, leading to a lack of accommodation for many.

"It's important to remember that a lot of the shelters that are currently being provided, either by the government or by others, are in the hundreds, and now we're dealing with over a million people that have now been displaced."

As the humanitarian situation worsens daily, Ayoub expressed concerns about how organizations like Oxfam will continue to support the most affected communities.

"The situation is becoming extremely volatile, and it is very hard to predict where we go next," he added.

Large numbers of displaced people have fled to northern Lebanon, the furthest point from the border .

"So, for us, what we're seeing is half of the countries impacted by direct hostilities, and the other half is in support of those that have been displaced," he said.

Oxfam warned that the influx of displaced people from southern Lebanon will quickly overwhelm local communities and exceed the capacity of the international humanitarian system to respond effectively. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported that around 100,000 Lebanese civilians have already fled to neighboring Syria.

NEED FOR HUMANITARIAN FOCUS

Ayoub called on the international community to pursue a diplomatic solution to end the violence against civilians. He warned that many organizations may struggle to continue their work without a significant increase in funding.

Lebanon has faced multiple crises in recent years, including the Beirut port explosion in 2020, a cholera outbreak, a refugee crisis from the Syrian civil war, and an economic collapse that has left much of the population in poverty.

Ayoub stressed that not enough attention is being given to the current humanitarian crisis.

"So, more focus should be placed on the human impact at a very human level. I think that's where all of the focus should remain right now.

"Politics will eventually figure itself out the way it always does, but the attention needs to be placed on those that have been most impacted by what has been going on," he said.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon, the most intense in decades, have killed more than 1,500 people, including over 70 children. Israeli forces have also targeted ambulances and healthcare workers, according to Oxfam.

On Friday, a major Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and many civilians after leveling several residential buildings in Beirut.

Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in October 2023 in response to Tel Aviv's war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left thousands missing under rubble.

Nearly a year into the war, vast areas of Gaza remain in ruins under a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine. Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague due to its actions in Gaza.