Displaced Lebanese forced to sleep on streets in Sidon as shelters 'full'

The brutal war Israel launched on south Lebanon has left thousands of families homeless.

Those forced to leave their homes and flee Israel's indiscriminate bombardment have spent long hours travelling, many on foot, to Sidon or Beirut, while some have travelled further north or into Syria.

Omar Mustafa, a furniture store worker, has still not found a place for himself and his family to shelter after they fled their home in the village of Zefta in the Nabatieh region in the south.

After the bombing intensified and came closer to their home, he and his family fled on foot, before a passing driver took pity on them and took them to Sidon.

"When we reached Sidon, we headed for the municipality. I put my name down in a list of those waiting for support, assistance and shelter. They told us there was no room, and that the schools were full of the displaced and couldn’t absorb any more people," he told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site  Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

They took his phone number he says, but the family are still waiting for a call back.

He and his family have spent three days sleeping in the open, with nothing but the clothes they are wearing.

He says his wife finds "somewhere far away to relieve herself, but the children and I go to a street corner for this. We feel humiliated".

They were turned away from the Al-Zaatari Mosque due to the large number of displaced gathered there, and ended up sleeping on the road by the sea "with no food, water or blankets".

Now they are sleeping in a car park where they had heard Syrians were gathering, and a local woman gave them a mat and some blankets.

Omar said that the Lebanese state needs to act to provide shelter: "Being displaced is making us feel humiliated. While it's true that staying in a school isn't easy, it’s better than sleeping on the street. We've been like this three days now," he says.

Hamid Ali, has also been displaced from his home in the village of Msaileh in the Nabatieh area, alongside his wife and their three children – one of them a four-month old baby.

He said they had no choice but to leave after missiles struck close to their home and a building was destroyed nearby.

They have a similar story to Omar's – the schools in Sidon were full, and they gave their number to the municipality, who said they'd call if space was found.

"I don't believe this will happen, as who would leave a place they have shelter where they're being shielded from the degrading situation me and my children are living in," says Hamid.

They also slept two nights on the sea front before heading for the parking lot where many Syrians have gathered.

Hamid has no money to buy milk or nappies for his baby, and has been forced to tear up strips of material to use instead.

He says the children are cold at night, and everyone is worried the war will drag on. If it continues into the winter season and the rains come, this will lead to even greater disaster.

Another displaced person, Umm Ali suffers from diabetes and fleeing her home in Zefta has left her struggling.

"When they targeted a building near my home, I decided to flee with my children to Sidon. There, we went to the municipality headquarters, registered our names, and tried to get a room in one of the schools, but the attempt failed," she says.

They didn't know where to go, she says, and she left the school in tears and exhausted.

 They headed for the municipal stadium at the southern entrance to the city, where a lot of Syrians are sleeping.

"We have been staying here for three days, and every evening, young volunteers come and offer us a labneh sandwich, but other than that, no one cares about us. I am sick and need special care, and we do not know how long this situation will continue," she says.

This is an edited and abridged translation from our Arabic edition. To read the original article click here.