Over 750,000 displaced people return home across Lebanon: UN

UNITED NATIONS, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Over 750,000 of the more than 1 million people displaced across Lebanon have returned to their communities, UN humanitarians said Friday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 375,000 people remain displaced, many of them unable to return due to insecurity, damage to their homes and infrastructure, and explosive hazards.

OCHA said in a daily update that the continuing insecurity in Lebanon is a concerning risk to health workers and first responders.

Since the escalation of hostilities on March 2 following the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it has recorded 212 attacks on health care in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 135 health care workers and injuries to 408 others, undermining access to life-saving medical care.

OCHA said Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported that two paramedics were injured on Thursday when an ambulance was struck in the municipality of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Nabatieh governorate.

The WHO said an explosive device detonated on July 21, injuring two Lebanese Red Cross paramedics during a search-and-rescue mission in the municipality of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, also in Nabatieh.

OCHA said that civilians, including health workers and first responders, must be protected in line with international humanitarian law. Humanitarian assistance must also be sustained to support displaced families and help them return home safely, voluntarily and with dignity. ■