UN humanitarian chief denounces Israeli strikes

The top UN humanitarian official today denounced the Israeli airstrikes that have devastated Beirut and southern Lebanon and appealed for safe passage for aid, saying civilians were paying a ”disproportionate price” in the attacks targeting Hezbollah strongholds.

Jan Egeland inspected first-hand the destruction in south Beirut, a predominantly Shiite area that has suffered the brunt of the bombings.

Israeli strikes hit the neighbourhood hours before Egeland’s arrival and six more missiles pounded it later, the first daytime strike there in days.

“It’s terrible. I see a lot of children wounded, homeless, suffering. This is a war where civilians pay a disproportionate price in Lebanon and northern Israel.

“I hadn’t believed it would be block by block levelled to the ground,” he said. “A disproportionate response by Israel is a violation of international humanitarian law.”

Egeland said the United Nations would begin a relief operation in the next few days but cautioned that the fleet of trucks and the ships that would bring in supplies needed free access and security, which are so far lacking.

Egeland said the UN would launch an international appeal for aid for Lebanon tomorrow. “It will be a large appeal. It’s got to be more than $100m (€78,800),” he said, adding that the long-term figure needed to rebuild devastated infrastructure would be “in the billions”.

“Not only the West, the Arab countries, the Asian countries, must come to the relief of the Lebanese in their hour of greatest need. They can only rely on us now,” he said.

The humanitarian chief made his way around the piles of debris left by the bombardment in Haret Hreik, which houses Hezbollah headquarters and has been hit several times since the crisis erupted on July 12.

At one point he looked down to see he was stepping on a school textbook buried in the rubble.

He stressed the need for an end to the hostilities, telling reporters: “If it continues like this, there will be more and more civilian casualties.”

A humanitarian crisis is brewing in the south and other parts of Lebanon.

The World Health Organisation said 600,000 people have been displaced by the hostilities. The Lebanese finance minister, Jihad Azour, put the figure at 750,000 people who have fled their homes, nearly 20% of Lebanon’s four million population.

Egeland, who met the Lebanese prime minister and other leaders to talk about aid deliveries, planned to travel to Israel tomorrow to coordinate the opening of aid corridors.

“I will ask for mercy for the civilian population,” he said.

Israel has eased its blockade on Beirut’s port to allow humanitarian supplies to pass through, but there appeared to be no let up in Israeli attacks on roads leading out of Beirut and along the route to Syria.

The need for relief was greatest in south Lebanon, where bombed-out roads and continuous airstrikes have isolated communities.

Egeland said the UN was setting up the relief operation but stressed that access and security were critical for the effort to work.

“The rockets going into Israel have to stop and the enormous bombardment that we see here with one block after the other being levelled has to stop,” he said. “There is no military solution. It is only a political solution.”

A fleet of trucks will bring supplies over land and ships will transport aid by sea. “We need access.

"We don’t have free access at the moment. We do not have security for our trucks. We don’t have security for the relief people,” he said.