We have no words to express the sadness we feel looking at the terrible attacks that are devastating Lebanon, a country where CTM has been working continuously since 1996 and where we have created extraordinary relationships of friendship and collaboration. Together with our friends, we have lived through the 2006 war, the consequences of the Syrian crisis, the bomb at the port of Beirut, the economic, energy and food crisis that has brought the country to its knees in the last 5 years without ever having to abandon the country.

The ongoing war has now exceeded all limits of cruelty and ruthlessness, already reaching 2,000 deaths, over 10,000 missing, 9,000 wounded and almost a million displaced persons. The agony, fear and chaos pervade the streets of Tyre, Baalbeck, Nabatieh and Beirut, places where we are used to operating in full harmony and collaboration with the institutions and the local population.

The attacks have almost hit our office in Tyre and our collaborators have taken refuge in the areas of Beirut and Tripoli that are considered safer without knowing if and when they will be able to return to their homes and their lives. We gather around the family of Fouaad Yassine, one of our volunteer divers who was busy cleaning the seabed for Blue Tyre and who, unfortunately, was the victim of an attack.

We want to express our closeness to our Lebanese friends who have welcomed us in these years and allowed us to operate in serenity and safety, in the hope that this nightmare will end soon.

CTM together with the Municipality of Tricase and the other partners from Salento who have worked in Lebanon in these years, want to support the volunteers of the crisis management unit of the municipalities of Tyre who are on the front line in the distribution of basic necessities and services to the displaced population (shelters, blankets, food, medicines, water …).

To contribute, make a donation here:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8W8SW8TR7UTQA

bank transfer in the name of:
Cooperazione nei Territori del Mondo – ETS
Banca Popolare Etica
IBAN: IT40A0501803200000011122959
Reason: “Donation Emergency Lebanon”

Some data provided by the Lebanese Ministry of Health

On Monday 23 September alone, at least 558 people, including 50 children and 94 women, were killed and over 1,800 injured. In the last twenty-four hours, approximately 216 airstrikes and bombings were recorded in various areas of Lebanon. The toll as of 8 October 2023 is 1,640 dead, including 104 children and 194 women, and 8,408 injured. Please note that these are necessarily partial data because there are still people missing or to be recovered from the rubble. The number of reception centers in public facilities has increased to 777, including public schools, educational complexes, vocational schools, agricultural centers and others distributed in various governorates. The number of IDPs registered in shelters approved by the National Operations Room has reached 116,100 so far, according to the national platform, and there are numerous IDPs who have moved to their homes in other areas or to stay with their families, or to rented houses or hotels, or to public or private places and others, in addition to thousands of others who have traveled by plane or crossed Lebanese territory to reach Syria, where the actual number is estimated to be many times higher than the officially registered number. From 23 to 29 September 2024, General Security recorded the crossing of 36,188 Syrian nationals and 41,307 Lebanese nationals into Syrian territory.