Another war in the Middle East is taking a tragic toll. Increasingly dire news is coming out of Lebanon - a country that has been grappling with economic and social crises for years and is now once again becoming a place of fear, destruction, and mass displacement. Bombs are falling on cities and villages, and thousands of families are hurriedly leaving their homes to flee the shelling.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese fled their homes following intensified Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon in early March. According to Caritas, the number of internally displaced persons has already exceeded half a million after just a few days. This is a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions in a country with a population of about 4.5 million, which in recent years has taken in nearly two million refugees from civil war-torn Syria. Today, Lebanon – already weakened by years of crisis—is once again the scene of a civilian tragedy.
Israel justifies the bombings as necessary to combat Hezbollah militants. In reality, however, it is ordinary people who pay the highest price – rural and urban residents, families with children, and the elderly, who have nowhere to flee. They are the ones losing their homes, their life’s work, and their sense of security. In many cities, schools and churches have been turned into shelters for those fleeing the south of the country.
A poignant symbol of this tragedy is the death of the Maronite priest, Father Pierre Ar-Rahi, the parish priest of the village of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon. He was killed during an Israeli attack while trying to help an injured parishioner. A few days earlier, he had said: “We have decided to stay here despite the danger, because these are our homes. We will not let anyone enter our village and use it for any purpose. None of us carries a weapon. The only weapons we have are peace, kindness, and love.” He did not want to leave his parishioners. His death is a poignant reminder of the high price paid by people who do not bear arms and are not involved in hostilities. The youngest among us are also among the victims. According to Lebanese authorities, at least 83 children have been killed so far.
Just a few months ago, many residents of Lebanon were simply struggling to survive the winter. As part of the “Help for the Holy Land” project, we sought to support the poorest families by providing them with fuel, food, and basic necessities. This aid reached those in need directly thanks to the involvement of local communities and coordination led by Fr. Prof. Waldemar Cisło of the Friends of the Mission Foundation. We donated 40,000 zlotys to help those in need survive the winter.
However, the need for aid has not gone away—a new wave of violence has forced thousands of people to flee once again. Many of them have nowhere to return to. Their homes have been destroyed or are located in areas affected by fighting. Families are spending the night in makeshift shelters, schools, churches, with relatives, or out in the open.
That is why our “Help for the Holy Land” project did not end with the arrival of winter. Ain Ebel, a village located in southern Lebanon and inhabited mainly by Christians (Maronites and Melkites), has a rich history dating back to ancient times and is of great significance to the region’s Christian heritage. Despite the shelling of nearby areas, 370 families (about 1,100 people) decided to stay there, while about 80 families left the town.
Currently, the residents of Ain Ebel are facing rising poverty and unemployment. They struggle to meet basic needs such as food and heating, and access to healthcare is severely limited. There is a shortage of medicines, and damage to infrastructure has led to unreliable electricity and water supplies.
In cooperation with the Maronite Archdiocese of Antelias in Lebanon, we plan to provide the residents of Ain Ebel with:
- 380 charged electric lamps (each costing 30 PLN),
- 6 tons of fuel (5,000 PLN per ton; requirement: 6 tons every 15 days),
- medications costing 3,900 PLN per month.
In Lebanon, which has traditionally been regarded as a bastion of Christianity in the Middle East, the Christian population has declined from 77.5% to 34.3% over the past century. If this trend continues, there is a real risk that places associated with the origins of Christianity will be left without those who have upheld the faith and tradition there for generations.
That is why it is so important today to support the people who, despite everything, want to stay in their homes. By helping them get through this most difficult time, we are helping to save not only individual lives, but also the communities and heritage of this part of the world.