SWITZERLAND: International Red Cross endorses estimate that 850,000 Lebanese have been internally displace by current conflict

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday (July 28) endorsed a Lebanese Red Cross source raising the number of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) to approximately 850,000. At a media conference at ICRC headquarters in Geneva, Director of Operations Pierre Krahenbuehl expressed concern that the numbers of casualties and displacements was increasing. The emergency relief agency launched an appeal for 100 million Swiss francs (81 million U.S. dollars) in order to carry out humanitarian activities together with the Lebanese Red Cross. "Today and with no end of hostilities currently in sight, and as we have and we note civilian casualties continuing to grow by the day, the ICRC in close partnership with its strategic partner the Lebanese Red Cross, appeals for 100 million Swiss francs to sharply increase its humanitarian action in support of the victims of the conflict in Lebanon", Krahenbuehl said. Kraehenbuehl said it was unacceptable that thousands of Lebanese civilians were trapped in villages in the southern part of the country, where they cannot get much needed care and supplies. He said Israel needed to do much more to ensure civilians were spared in the violence, sparked by the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by the Hizbollah militant group. The ICRC said its requests to Hizbollah guerrillas for access to two captured Israeli soldiers had gone unheeded.

ITN Source | July 29, 2006

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