Civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria Face Humanitarian Crises
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have forced more than 1.2 million people to flee their homes, according to the UNHCR. Those that remain are taking cover in overcrowded shelters or on the streets where air strikes are still ongoing. Many Lebanese are escaping to Syria, along with previously displaced Syrians, returning to war-torn regions that have few resources. Meanwhile, Gaza remains in a state of serious humanitarian crisis, with famine-like conditions exacerbated by Israeli blockades and military operations. John Thon Majok, Director of the Wilson Center’s Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI), provides insight into the worsening refugee crises in the region. He explains the extent of the crises, how neighboring countries—Syria, Egypt, and Jordan—are responding, the immediate humanitarian needs, and how the international community should respond.
Transcript of Video
Civilians in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria Face Humanitarian Crises
The displaced people are moving from the frying pan to the fire. There are multiple displacements. Before the Lebanon and Gaza crises, there was the Syrian crisis and Syrian refugees moved to Lebanon and neighboring countries. Now they are facing multiple displacements.
Just to give you one example, in total in Gaza, 90% of the total population in Gaza have been displaced since last year, and the entire humanitarian supply chain is disrupted and that is causing concern about the imminence of famine in the region.
So there's multiple crises, the scale is so huge and it is ongoing, which is why permanent ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the best way to go in order to start negotiating about how to address this.
Egypt, even though it has taken some refugees in, it has not given them Refugee status and what that means is the UN cannot help them. And they are actually, Egypt in particular, is very cautious to allow the Palestinians in, citing security reasons.
Syria on the other hand has an open door policy now, allowing people to return to Syria and it has exempted it's cross border fees, which is about $100. So, people are returning and that has been extended for an additional 10 days.
Jordan is hosting, of course, 2 million Palestinian refugees and is very cautious about relations with Israel because of the peace agreement that has been signed. But, again, they are overwhelmed with resources, people already there, and it's a situation which all the neighboring countries are facing. It's just resources, but also the movement of people, security concerns about bad guys moving with the refugees. But right now the immediate needs are food, shelters, health care services, and then safety itself.
So, I think the United States along with other countries and countries in the region need to not stop talking and need not to turn a blind eye to this situation because it's not going to be resolved until you have that cooperation from the global community.
Guest
John Thon Majok
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Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative
The Refugee and Forced Displacement Initiative (RAFDI) provides evidence-based analyses that translate research findings into practice and policy impact. Established in 2022 as a response to an ever-increasing number of people forcibly displaced from their homes by protracted conflicts and persecution, RAFDI aims to expand the space for new perspectives, constructive dialogue and sustainable solutions to inform policies that will improve the future for the displaced people. Read more
