children, were killed in the deadliest Israeli strike of the conflict so far. Red cross workers said they were finding many bodies as many families had been hiding in the basement of a house in Qana, which was crushed after a direct hit.
Lebanon’s government denounced the strike and said there was no reason for US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to come for talks to Beirut as long as there was no ceasefire. Rice stayed instead in Jerusalem, Israel, Sunday, July 30, to monitor the situation and talks with Israeli officials.
Israel said it regretted the incident – but added that villagers had been warned to flee the area and that many civilians had been used "as human shields" by Hezbollah militants firing rockets into Israel. 750,000 Israelis, including many children, have been forced to hide for the rockets in bomb shelters, "in the summer, without air conditioning," explained Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier.
MASSIVE PROTESTS
In Beirut, Lebanon, an angry crowd ransacked the office of the United Nations. Protestors claimed the UN had become a tool of the United States, which so far refused to call for an immediate ceasefire, giving Israel more time to attack Hezbollah, which Washington says has been funded and supported by Iran and Syria. However the UN points out it has suffered as well, losing four observers in another Israeli air strike earlier in the week.
Sunday’s air strike was expected to add to anxiety among the estimated 800,000 people, including Christians, who have been forced to flee their homes in Lebanon. One of the major Christian groups active in the region, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) said its staff and volunteers in Beirut "are providing emergency food, bedding, shelter, and basic necessities for displaced families."
"ADRA is in daily coordination with the United Nations and other international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and is establishing a much broader emergency feeding program that will impact thousands of displaced people in Beirut over the coming months," it said in a statement released by the Adventist Press Service..
The relief agency said it will provide "care packages" for displaced families sheltering with relatives, and other people, "that contain a three-month supply of supplementary food aid." The care packages will provide half the daily energy requirements for the families, with the other 50 percent coming from the host families.
FOOD SHORTAGES
"As food shortages worsen, it’s vital to provide host families with sufficient assistance to aid displaced people," the group stressed. In addition hygiene packs, each containing a mixture of dental health products, soap, shampoo, combs, sanitary pads, nappies and baby creams will be distributed by ADRA to thousands of displaced people in and around Beirut. "The hygiene packs will positively impact the health of women and children, helping to prevent disease," ADRA said.
It also claimed to monitoring the humanitarian needs inside Israel, amid a growing debate among different Christian groups about the Lebanese-Israeli conflict. The World Council of Churches and other organizations have called for an immediate cease-fire, while others spoke of the danger of allowing "terrorist groups" to exist and urged President George W. Bush to continue to support Israel
“Right now, this man-made humanitarian crisis is spiraling out of control,” argued Mark Schnellbaecher, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) regional director for the Middle East in a reported statement. “An eagerly anticipated cease-fire has not happened and no solution to the crisis has been found. Almost one quarter of Lebanon’s four million people are now directly and personally affected by this conflict, either driven from their homes or trapped in them.”
American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) reportedly supports Israel’s offense, viewing it as a fight for lasting peace and democracy. "As we well know from experience, when terrorists are allowed to thrive in any nation, we are all threatened. Any attack on Israel is an attack on freedom – and freedom attacked anywhere is freedom attacked everywhere," it said. (With reports from Lebanon, Israel, BosNewsLife News Center and BosNewsLife Research. Stay with BosNewsLife for continues updates in the crisis in the Middle East from a different perspective).
