U.N.'s Egeland denounces Israeli strikes,The U.N.'s top humanitarian official on Sunday denounced the Israeli airstrikes that have devastated Beirut and southern Lebanon, saying civilians were paying a "disproportionate price" in the attacks targeting Hezbollah strongholds.
Jan Egeland inspected the destruction in south Beirut — a predominantly Shiite area that has suffered the brunt of the bombings. Israeli strikes hit the neighborhood hours before Egeland's arrival and six more missiles pounded it later, the first daytime attack there in days.
"It's terrible. I see a lot of children wounded, homeless, suffering. This is a war where civilians pay a disproportionate price in Lebanon and northern Israel. I hadn't believed it would be block by block leveled to the ground," he said. "A disproportionate response by Israel is a violation of international humanitarian law."
He spoke as Canadians, Australians and other foreigners continued to flee the fighting in Lebanon. U.S. Consul William Gill said most Americans who wanted to leave had done so and U.S. evacuation efforts were nearly complete. The first Filipino evacuees were welcomed home by their president and British officials said the last large group of Britons had left.
Egeland appealed for safe passage for aid and said the United Nations would begin a relief operation in the next few days. But he cautioned the fleet of trucks and ships that will bring in supplies need free access and security, which are lacking so far.
Egeland said the United Nations will release an international appeal for aid for Lebanon on Monday. "It will be a large appeal. It's got to be more than $100 million," he said, adding that the long-term figure needed to rebuild devastated infrastructure would be "in the billions."
"Not only the West, the Arab countries, the Asian countries, must come to the relief of the Lebanese in their hour of greatest need, they can only rely on us now," he told The Associated Press.
The humanitarian chief made his way around the piles of debris left by the bombardment in Haret Hreik, which houses Hezbollah headquarters and has been hit several times since the fighting began July 12. At one point, he looked down to see he was stepping on a school textbook buried in the rubble.
He stressed the need for an end to hostilities, telling reporters, "If it continues like this, there will be more and more civilian casualties."
A humanitarian crisis is brewing in the south and other parts of Lebanon.
The World Health Organization said the 600,000 people have been displaced by the hostilities. Lebanese Finance Minister Jihad Azour told Al-Arabiya television put the figure of people who have fled their homes at 750,000, nearly 20 percent of Lebanon's 4 million people.
Egeland, who met with the prime minister and other leaders to talk about aid, planned to travel Monday to Israel to coordinate the opening of aid corridors.
"I will ask for mercy for the civilian population,".
Israel has eased its blockade on Beirut's port to allow humanitarian supplies to pass through, but there appeared to be no letup in Israeli attacks on roads leading out of Beirut and along the route to Syria.
The need for relief was greatest in south Lebanon, where bombed-out roads and continuous airstrikes have isolated communities.
Egeland said the U.N. was setting up the relief operation but stressed that access and security were critical for the effort to work.
"The rockets going into Israel have to stop and the enormous bombardment that we see here with one block after the other being leveled has to stop," he said. There is no military solution. It is only a political solution."
