In Beirut, volunteers race to help war displaced

A civil defense member walks at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Beirut is buzzing with activity as volunteers scramble to aid the tens of thousands displaced by Israel’s intense bombardment of Lebanon this week.

Despite an economic crisis that has gripped the country for years, people in the capital are stepping up, finding shelter, cooking meals and gathering essentials.

In a soup kitchen, dozens of volunteers wearing aprons and hairnets stir steaming pots of tomato bulgur and pack hundreds of meals into plastic containers.

“When people began fleeing the south, I had to help in any way possible,” said Mehyeddine el Jawhary, a 33-year-old chef originally from Sidon. “The first thing that crossed my mind was to cook meals,” said Mr. Jawhary, whose parents refused to leave the southern city despite nearby air strikes.

Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel in support of its ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that triggered a devastating war in Gaza.

This week Israel dramatically intensified its attacks, mostly on Hezbollah’s south Beirut and southern and eastern Lebanese strongholds, killing over 700 people, according to the Health Ministry.