International Rescue Committee (IRC)
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IRC Looks at Needs in Southern Lebanon as Ceasefire Triggers Mass Returns

Tens of thousands of uprooted Lebanese streamed back to their villages in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut this week as the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah fighters began to take hold.

Roads are packed with returnees and with restored access, more and more aid convoys are reaching battered areas of the country.

IRC emergency team leader Alan Manski and emergency environmental health coordinator Jason Snuggs traveled with a local Lebanese aid group to the southern Lebanese district of Hasbaiya today to begin assessing humanitarian needs.

The IRC will work through two local Lebanese aid groups to provide water and sanitation assistance to devastated villages and to address the emergency needs of women and children.

Most families are expected to leave the displacement sites in and around Beirut where they had sought refuge during the fighting. For those who stay behind, the IRC and its partners plan to distribute hygiene kits and provide other services.