Thousands of people in Lebanon have been seeking refuge in official emergency shelters since Israel’s renewed intensive airstrikes, the country’s interior minister has said.
A total of 70,100 displaced people are currently registered in 533 emergency centres, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said at a press conference in the capital Beirut on Thursday.
Schools in particular have been converted into emergency accommodation. There is still a large influx of displaced people from the south.
The exact number of internally displaced people in Lebanon is currently difficult to determine as many people have fled to relatives, others are sleeping on the streets.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday, citing Lebanese authorities, that around 90,000 were considered newly displaced as of Monday.
According to the UN, this is not the first time that many of the displaced people have had to leave their homes to find safety.
The UN office expects the number of displaced people to continue to rise as the situation remains volatile and many people are still on the move.
