UNITED NATIONS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 1,530 people have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the recent escalation on March 2, a UN official said Wednesday.
Imran Riza, UN deputy special coordinator resident and humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, said that the casualties included 130 children killed and 461 injured, citing the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
"It is a huge civilian tragedy," he told reporters at the UN headquarters via video link.
On displacement, Riza said it has reached "an unprecedented scale," with over 1.1 million people, or nearly 20 percent of Lebanon's population, now displaced.
According to him, there are currently 138,000 people sheltering in 678 collective sites, and the majority of the displaced, over 800,000, are dispersed across host communities or informal settings, often with very limited access to basic services. "The host communities have a huge amount of pressure on them," he said.
Riza said essential infrastructure and public services in Lebanon are increasingly under strain.
There have been more than 106 incidents reported affecting the health system, resulting in 57 deaths and 158 injuries among health workers. At least 51 healthcare centers and six hospitals have been forced to close, and many others are damaged, he said.
"The escalation has to stop," Riza said, urging parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian and medical personnel at all times.
Regarding the three-month flash appeal of 308.3 million U.S. dollars for victims of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, launched in mid-March, Riza said "much more" is needed.
"That 308 million is only about a third funded at this point, so we are extremely worried about that," he added.
