Syria is entering its eleventh year of a brutal and unrelenting crisis. The conflict has been characterized by destruction on a vast scale, massive internal displacement and a refugee crisis that has reverberated around the world, as well as a shocking disregard for the laws of armed conflict.
More than 20,000 people have returned to their homes near the former frontlines in the southern neighborhoods of Tripoli. After over a yearlong displacement, families came back to destroyed homes, scarce resources, and lack of key services.
More than 1,000 people formerly detained in relation to the conflict in Yemen were transported back to their region of origin or to their home countries by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the largest operation of its kind during the five-and-a-half-year war.
In an effort to boost a health system devastated by war, the Red Cross and Red Crescent opened a free treatment centre for COVID-19 patients in Yemen, which has suffered from a high rate of death from a crippling first wave of COVID-19.
Fears and frustrations remain high after fuel deliveries finally returned to Gaza this week. With the Strip’s only power station shut down for two weeks, residents were left with just four hours of power a day as temperatures soared.
Three weeks after a massive explosion ripped through Beirut port and surrounding neighbourhoods, the physical and psychological damage it inflicted is staggering.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is working across Beirut to provide ongoing support to people in the city. With more than 6000 people left injured by the August 4 blast, hospitals need urgent medical supplies.
One week after a devastating explosion ripped through Beirut, the city’s remaining hospitals are still full and hundreds of thousands of people need help to rebuild their lives.
Lebanon will continue to feel the aftershock of the explosion long after this week’s blast. Besides the loss of life and injury, people have lost their homes and businesses. The country was already in an extremely fragile state, after months of a spiraling economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. This is a severe blow to people who are already struggling.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is actively responding to the aftermath of the explosion in Beirut and remains committed to supporting Lebanon during these difficult times.