‘We want this nightmare to finish’ – Lebanese civilians fear for safety

An aid employee in Beirut, Lebanon, has described a deepening sense of fear and emotional exhaustion amongst civilians in Lebanon after a wave of bombardments hit the capital, leaving many residents feeling that nowhere is protected.

Marielle Boutros, a project coordinator for Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), said the newest attacks have shaken individuals who were already worn down by years of conflict and economic hardship.

Her comments got here after a serious round of Israeli strikes on Beirut on April 8, by which at least 254 people were killed and over 2,000 wounded.

According to Ms Boutros, over 100 bombs struck different parts of the town overnight, affecting not only areas within the south but multiple parts of the capital.

Ms Boutros, who lives and works in eastern Beirut, said many residents had thought they were secure inside their very own homes, particularly in neighbourhoods that had not previously been hit.

Instead, she said, the strikes spread panic across the town and destroyed what little sense of normal life remained.

She told ACN News: “It was scary, it caused anger, it caused sadness especially if you hear a ceasefire is going on elsewhere. It was really tragic.”

The latest escalation followed a press release by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicating that military operations against Hezbollah would proceed despite a ceasefire announcement between the US and Iran on April 7.

A ceasefire arrangement between Hezbollah and Israel that had been in place since 2024 reportedly collapsed on February 28. Since then, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reports that over 1,800 people have died, amongst them about 120 children, with one other 6,000 people reported injured.

Fighting has also intensified in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops have emptied large areas of villages near the border as a part of efforts to ascertain control over the world.

The Lebanese Army pulled out of Rmeich and Ein Ebel – two Christian villages now expected to fall inside Israel’s buffer zone – on 31 March.

Ms Boutros said the human toll goes beyond physical destruction. She described the emotional burden of checking whether family members are alive while knowing that a whole lot of other families are grieving.

She said, “You don’t feel protected. Some of the victims were of their houses, in a secure and comforting place, they usually were bombed. You should cope together with your anxiety, fears and guilt which have developed over the previous few years. For me, that is the worst thing – if you find yourself relieved that it’s not your loved ones but you have got families on the bottom dead.

“We have this pressure to proceed our each day life because you can not afford to not due to the economic crisis. We aren’t superb. We are surviving but in the guts of every one among us we wish this nightmare to finish indirectly.”

Ms Boutros warned that the conflict can also be threatening essential services, especially within the south of the country.

Aid to the Church in Need is currently involved in several relief efforts, including food distribution, medical assistance, fuel support for displaced families sheltering in church centres, and trauma care for youngsters.

She said that the charity is especially concerned concerning the continued disruption to education.

“This is an actual emergency,” she said.

Many schools in southern Lebanon are not any longer functioning in person, with some attempting to proceed online.

“Teachers should be paid,” she said, adding that one other prolonged interruption could be devastating for youngsters who’ve already endured repeated school closures since 2019, including throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and Lebanon’s financial crisis.

Ms Boutros said: “The school system in Lebanon could be very necessary for the population because it’s a strength for Lebanese people. After their graduation they go overseas to pursue their studies and lots of come back. They cannot afford to shut.

“For the Church too it’s very necessary because it’s where catechism takes place. It’s a spot for missions, for preaching, for transferring Christian values and living those values.

“These are key elements for society here.”

She ended with an appeal for prayer, saying that many in Lebanon feel they’re reaching the bounds of what they will endure.

Even so, she said: “After all, our God is a God who was resurrected. He defeated death. We can depend on such a God.”