Churches shelter people escaping violence as death toll from Israeli attacks climbs in Lebanon

(OSV News) -- Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon meant to target Hezbollah militants have led to over 550 deaths, including 50 children and 94 women, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. Christian churches in the country are sheltering people escaping violence.

"People are now living in church halls, so they will need food, sanitary products, mattresses, blankets, and if it continues, we will need heating for winter, though of course, we hope it will not last that long," said Marielle Boutros, project coordinator in Lebanon for the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need,

According to The Associated Press, the Lebanese Health Ministry told journalists Sept. 24 that 16 paramedics and firefighters were among those killed, and 1,835 people were wounded in the attacks.

Despite concerns by world leaders of escalating violence in the Middle East, Israel has expanded its attacks against Hamas by targeting its closest ally in Lebanon.

Israeli military officials said its airstrikes targeted the militant group's strongholds in Beirut and announced that it had killed Ibrahim Qubaisi, a senior Hezbollah commander, the Reuters news agency reported.

Pope Francis said during his general audience Sept. 25 that the escalation is "unacceptable" and urged the international community to make "every effort" to stop the descent into violence.

The increasing tensions in the Middle East as well as other global conflicts were at the forefront of discussions as world leaders gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York for high-level meetings at the start of the 79th session of the General Assembly.

In his opening address Sept. 24, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world "can't go on like this" and that the current course is "unsustainable."

"Gaza is a nonstop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it. Look no further than Lebanon. We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon -- the people of Israel -- and the people of the world -- cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza," Guterres said.

While condemning Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Guterres said that "nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

Guterres also denounced alleged human rights violations committed by governments at war. Most recently, a video showed Israeli soldiers throwing the bodies of dead Palestinians off the roof of a building. The Israeli Defense Forces said it was investigating the incident, which would violate international law.

"The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable," he said.
In his speech, U.S. President Joe Biden advocated against a "full-scale war" in Lebanon Sept. 24 and expressed his desire to reach a cease-fire agreement quickly.

Boutros, project coordinator in Lebanon for ACN, said that although Hezbollah is meant to be the intended target of attacks by Israel, civilians, including Christians, are bearing the brunt of the aggression.

The strikes, she said, are "affecting everyone," because "all south Lebanon is being targeted," Boutros said Sept. 24 during a visit to ACN headquarters in Koenigstein, Germany, according to a statement released by the Catholic charity.

"These are not purely Shia or Hezbollah areas, and we have a lot of Christian families living there," she said. "Some have lost their houses, and they are moving now from the south to other places in Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the north, to find safety."

According to ACN, the charity runs "more than 300 projects in Lebanon" and its work in the country has increased significantly "with the recent economic meltdown in Lebanon, as well as the massive port explosion which destroyed large parts of Beirut."

Boutros said that escalating conflict in the country may lead to an exodus of Christians and risks diminishing their presence in the region.

"I am 37 years old, and I have experienced more than five wars in Lebanon," she lamented. "It is not easy to live in a country where one day you are fine, and the next you are hiding from missiles. It is not the kind of life that young people like to live. The trauma the people are experiencing now, and the trauma of having yet another war will not be easily forgotten."

Thousands of families from southern Lebanon have packed cars and headed north toward Beirut since the Sept. 21 escalation. Some 100,000 people living near the border had already been displaced since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, subsequent war and intensified daily fire between the militant group Hezbollah and Israel.

At a panel discussion the previous day in Rome, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said that although the situation in northern Lebanon "has always been volatile," the current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has taken a more intense turn.

"It's challenging to discern the true intentions of each side," Cardinal Pizzaballa said. He also noted that various accusations made by each side have made it difficult to discern the true nature of the conflict and that Israel and Lebanon seem bent on giving each other a "lesson."

The event, titled, "Is Peace Possible? The Middle East Crisis," was held Sept. 23 at the Shrine of San Salvatore in Lauro to coincide with the feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and included the participation of several Italian government officials.

The cardinal also expressed his dismay at the unsuccessful attempts at calling a cease-fire and a negotiated peace in the Holy Land, lamenting that "we always seem close to a solution, yet peace remains elusive."

However, Cardinal Pizzaballa also noted that a solution to the current conflict does not necessarily guarantee peace.

"In this context, it makes little sense to discuss it. Currently in Israel, the focus is on winning, and peace is not viewed as victory. This is a major misunderstanding, not just in the Holy Land," he said.

While a "political peace" between Israel and Hamas is absent, he continued, it does not mean true peace is unattainable "since it is a choice."

"Right now, institutions are paralyzed, and diplomacy is not significantly impacting the conflict. Yet, society is made up of more than just institutions; there are other vital components," Cardinal Pizzaballa said.

"If I've learned anything this year, it's that we must prepare for peace," he added. "It is a product of culture and needs to be nurtured in schools, starting from the grassroots level, to create opportunities that gradually rebuild trust."