At least 25 women have been killed and 109 injured in Lebanon in the three weeks since a ceasefire took effect on April 17, highlighting the continuing risks faced by civilians despite the truce, a senior UN Women official said Friday.
Speaking from Lebanon via video link to reporters in Geneva, Moez Doraid said women and girls remain exposed to violence as they attempt to return to their homes "under the perceived safety of the ceasefire."
He said many women he met this week described widespread destruction in villages south of the Litani River, with one woman saying her village had become "completely unrecognizable."
Doraid said continued Israeli airstrikes, evacuation orders, movement restrictions and bans on returning to certain areas are preventing many families from going home, leaving more than half a million women and girls displaced.
He also warned of worsening food insecurity, saying UN Women estimates that around 639,000 women and girls could face crisis-level hunger or worse in the coming months.
"One woman described to my colleague that she has been forced to forage for wild herbs to feed her family," he said.
Doraid called for the ceasefire to be fully respected and turned into a comprehensive peace process that includes women's meaningful participation in recovery and peacebuilding efforts.
