Cafod calls for immediate ceasefire as Lebanon suffers mass displacement, destruction and trauma

‘There will be large numbers of people who will not be able to go home, even if the conflict stopped tomorrow. The impact will be felt for a very long time, because of the destruction. Entire homes, neighbourhoods and villages have been destroyed.’

Cafod has called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, where in the past two weeks Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people as of 19 March, injured more than 2,500, and displaced more than 1.1 million.

“In just a few weeks, already more people have been displaced than in any of the other conflicts Lebanon has seen in recent years,” Hombeline Dulière, Cafod representative for Syria and Lebanon, told The Tablet.  

“As humanitarian organisations, we’re not there to be political and say who’s right or who’s wrong in a conflict, but the problem is that civilians are impacted. We’re talking about thousands of people who have died, including women and children.

“Civilians are being killed on a daily basis, displaced, forced to leave their homes. Health workers and humanitarian workers have also been impacted and targeted. There’s no argument to justify any of this.”

Speaking from Beirut, she described one family she met while distributing aid with a grassroots partner organisation on Saturday: “There were ten of them, with a two-month-old baby and a two-and-a-half-year old, all sleeping in a tent.

“They were displaced from their home and went to the southern suburbs of Beirut, but then were displaced again. Just people trying to survive.”

Dulière continued, “When people are displaced, they try to find a safe place to stay, but the shelter is very limited, and many people cannot go in because of limited capacity, and it’s very difficult for non-Lebanese people such as Syrians to access shelters – lots of people are turned back.

“Some of them are sleeping on the streets, some are going back to affected areas – red zones, highly at-risk zones. They have to make a difficult choice. Some shelters accept women and children or the elderly but not men, so sometimes entire families go back home knowing that they’re taking a huge risk.

“Some people obviously left in a hurry when the evacuation orders were sent out by the Israelis, leaving everything behind them, and they know that if they don’t go back now, they may lose their home. Sometimes families are separated and they can’t reach each other.

“People want to go back, because they know that if they leave, they may not be able to return – ever. They have to make these unimaginably difficult decisions. A lot of people who were displaced in 2024 could not go back, so now people know that they may be part of the ones who will never be able to go back.”

Cafod is working with local partners on the ground to provide food and water and community kitchens, distribute non-food items like blankets, mattresses, and hygiene and menstrual items, to provide health support such as medicine, medical consultations and tests, and psychosocial and legal support.

They are also supporting local humanitarian workers who have been displaced, and providing small grants for grassroots initiatives to respond urgently to people’s needs, such as groups led by migrants or people with disabilities, supporting the most marginalised people who are not necessarily supported by the NGO networks.

“There is still so much solidarity: people in every community volunteering and trying to support others, even if they have very little time,” Dulière told The Tablet.  “But the tensions are very high, and people are afraid – including of all the new people coming into their neighbourhood.

“All of our partners are responding across the country, but obviously the security situation is making it really difficult for the frontliners, for their security and their own wellbeing.

“This crisis is so widespread, so it’s really difficult for people to look after their own families at the same time as responding to the community’s needs more widely. It’s really inspiring to see that they carry on even in the most difficult circumstances.”

Dulière said that funding has become a “huge issue” for all aid agencies since 2024 because of the aid cuts, meaning that all organisations are struggling: “Prices have also increased a lot, making things even more difficult.”  

She urged people around the world to consider supporting organisations that are providing these life-saving services: “Supporting grassroots organisations is essential. They will stay after every crisis, responding from the heart of the community.”

Dulière emphasised that the wounds will run deep even once the attacks have ended: “In 2024, there were still people who could not go home, whether because they had nowhere to go to or because they were not allowed to go home, and it’s going to be the same this time.

“There will be large numbers of people who will not be able to go home, even if the conflict stopped tomorrow. The impact will be felt for a very long time, because of the destruction. Entire homes, neighbourhoods and villages have been destroyed. Physical reconstruction will be needed.

“The social tensions are increasing, so it’s going to take a lot of time to find a way to heal in Lebanon, as a people.

“Some of our partners work on conflict sensitivity and social peace, and this will be really essential in the longer term, trying to heal all these wounds that have been created, increasing tensions between the communities – not just between Lebanese and Syrians, but between Lebanese communities.

“It’s going to take a lot of time and effort. Peacebuilding, social cohesion and conflict sensitivity work are going to be essential.”

Bishop James Curry, lead bishop for the Holy Land for the Catholic bishops’ conference of England and Wales, has also echoed Pope Leo XIV’s call to “cease the fire”.

“It seems to me that the Lebanese too often end up paying a disproportionate price for regional conflicts,” said Bishop Curry. “Mass displacement is a major issue.

“Children are separated from their families, people with disabilities need urgent assistance, more than 700,000 internally displaced people need food, refuge and essential items. In addition, only a fraction of the internally displaced are registered in government-designated collective shelters.”

Middle Eastern countries celebrated Mother’s Day on 21 March, and Bishop Curry encouraged Catholics to pray for the mothers and children in the region: “We know that women and children are among the first to suffer in war. We’ve seen it in Gaza, we’ve seen it in Ukraine, now we see it in Iran and neighbouring countries. This is not how the world should be.

“I echo the Holy Father’s call for the international community to raise its voice and support the country’s authorities in implementing lasting solutions for the common good of all the Lebanese people, including its mothers and children.”

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, recently expressed harsh criticism for the US-led war and said those involved should “leave Lebanon alone”.

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