UNITED NATIONS, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The humanitarian situation is deteriorating in Tyre city and surrounding areas in southern Lebanon, amid repeated displacement orders and continued strikes by Israeli forces, UN humanitarians said Tuesday.
Many civilians, including residents of Tyre, people living in Palestinian refugee camps, and people displaced from other parts of southern Lebanon, remain in the area, said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The displacement order issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday for the entire city of Tyre in South governorate, including all neighborhoods and Palestinian refugee camps, will affect nearly 44,000 people, many of whom were already displaced, said OCHA.
Despite these orders and the associated risks, initial reports from local authorities and partners indicate that most families will remain in Tyre, with many staying due to limited alternatives. Some have reportedly sought shelter further north in the city of Saida and the district of Chouf in the Mount Lebanon governorate, said the office.
No major population movements have been observed on Tuesday from the Palestinian refugee camps, although about 10,000 people had sought refuge in UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East shelters in the district of Saida and north Lebanon after a previous displacement order for Tyre some 10 days ago.
Meanwhile, attacks continue to affect health care. On Monday, an airstrike near a Lebanese Red Cross center in Tyre reportedly killed five people and injured eight others, including four paramedics. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, at least nine people have been killed and more than 28 injured in strikes on Tuesday targeting the densely populated Al Masaken neighborhood in Tyre city, said OCHA.
The UN reiterates the urgent need to protect civilians, ensure safe and sustained humanitarian access, and respect international humanitarian law.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Monday detected 48 violations of Lebanese airspace by Israel and nine airstrikes conducted by IDF fighter aircraft, as well as one separate incident of sustained machine-gun fire from an IDF helicopter.
Also on Monday, UNIFIL peacekeepers reported 446 trajectories fired from IDF positions within the mission's area of operations, and 10 projectile trajectories, presumably fired by Hezbollah.
UNIFIL facilitated seven humanitarian missions to Tyre and its surrounding areas on Monday, said Haq. ■
