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The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon caused by Israel’s continued attacks risks becoming similar to the one seen in Gaza, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told Euronews.
“I do fear [that Lebanon could be the next Gaza],” the UN’s Humanitarian Chief said on Euronews’ interview programme 12 Minutes with.
“In fact, I fear that because that’s what we’re hearing from some Israeli ministers right now, who are speaking in increasingly belligerent language about what they plan to do to Lebanon.”
Israel’s attacks have mostly been concentrated in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has warned that displaced Lebanese forced from their homes would not be allowed to return until the safety of Israelis in the north was guaranteed, drawing comparisons with Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Beirut’s southern suburbs could be reduced to something resembling Khan Yunis in Gaza, which was nearly completely razed by Israel during its war on Hamas, satellite imagery last year showed.
Lebanon was pulled into the conflict some two weeks ago when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched strikes against Israel in retaliation for the assassination of the former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli airstrike. Rockets shot at Israel have injured civilians and damaged residential buildings.
Israel said these Hezbollah attacks justified launching a new offensive against the armed group, stating it will do so until it is disarmed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Lebanon was not fulfilling its obligations to confiscate Hezbollah’s weapons in line with a November 2024 ceasefire agreement between the two countries.
On Monday, Israel’s military troops began “limited and targeted ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where the military said it carried out massive airstrikes and artillery shelling before troops moved into the area.
There are fears that this could lead to an Israeli occupation of the south. Far-right figures within Israel’s governing coalition have advocated for the creation of a security buffer inside southern Lebanon.
Lebanese authorities stated that more than 900 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli attacks, while more than one million — around one in five people living in the country — have been displaced.
Many people are fleeing mandatory evacuation orders put in place by the Israeli military. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, these sweeping orders now cover more than 1,470 square kilometres, or about 14% of the country’s territory.
The Israeli army implied in statements that remaining in these locations means people are considered targets. Designating an area for widespread indiscriminate attacks in such a way is considered unlawful under the laws of war. The IDF applied similar tactics in Gaza.
“The reality is that Israel has issued these instructions to civilians to move from vast, vast areas of the country, so it doesn’t leave very much space for them to seek refuge,” Fletcher explained.
He added that Israeli airstrikes have destroyed civilian infrastructure. “We’re seeing massive damage to civilian areas. We’re seeing a lot of damage to healthcare [facilities], for example. My colleagues on the ground were briefing me on Monday about the number of hospitals and clinics which have been hit in these attacks.”
Israel has said it strikes targets linked to Hezbollah and that it issues evacuation orders ahead of any military action.
‘Dangerous to operate’
Fletcher noted that it is becoming increasingly dangerous for the UN to operate in Lebanon and provide support to civilians.
“We were trying to get a convoy of support down to the south of Lebanon […], and we had to turn back because of the danger levels,” he said. “We lost a colleague in Lebanon last week as well. Our peacekeepers are there to try to keep the peace, literally. We need de-escalation by all sides right now.”
Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, criticised Hezbollah’s strikes on Israel and called for direct negotiations with Israel earlier this month as part of a proposal to end the escalating conflict. This marked the first time Lebanon called for such calls since the 1982 Israeli invasion during Lebanon’s civil war.
Fletcher referred to this as a “really interesting development.”
“The Lebanese government themselves are calling for direct negotiations with Israel, which hasn’t happened in the past.” Fletcher sees this as a potential pathway to peace.
“There’s potential here to reset the relationship in the region, but the path for that is through dialogue and diplomacy, and not through more brutal violence.”
However, Lebanon wants the fighting to end before any talks with Israel, lowering the probability of successful negotiations. Israel has not yet responded to these requests for negotiations from Lebanon.
Washington, which under the helm of President Trump has asserted itself as a leading mediator in several global conflicts, is preoccupied with the wider war and its impact on the global economy.
In the meantime, the need for humanitarian aid is skyrocketing, while aid organisations are facing obstructions, Fletcher says.
“We’ve got another crisis caused by the fact that we can’t get our goods through the Strait of Hormuz.” The blocking of this key shipping passage is also driving up the cost of fertilisers, therefore increasing food prices.
“People talk about the unpredictable consequences of this conflict, but they were quite predictable. We know how much we rely on the Strait of Hormuz for commercial traffic and humanitarian traffic to so many of the places we serve,” he explained.
“Since the resumption of this conflict across the Middle East, our access to Gaza, for example, has been restricted. Again, there’s only one crossing open. So that means we get fewer trucks in, less aid, less food, less water, and less shelter.”
Recent funding cuts are further depleting the UN’s ability to respond. In recent months, the US announced it would contribute only $2 billion in United Nations humanitarian assistance, a sharp drop from the up to $17 billion it provided in recent years. It also withdrew from 31 UN entities
“It’s really rough. We’re trying to save as many lives as we can, but without any stability or guarantee of the money coming in. And so all the time, I’m in Afghanistan, I’m in South Sudan, I’m in Ukraine and Darfur, seeing projects that I know will close and meeting people who I know will die.”
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