LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Israel is threatening a wider war on Lebanon if a truce with Hezbollah falls apart. The Lebanese state, it says, will not be spared. And this comes after Hezbollah fired projectiles Monday for the first time since the ceasefire, calling them a warning for Israeli violations of the truce.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
So far, United Nations peace keepers have counted dozens of those Israeli violations, including repeated airstrikes on Lebanon, as has the Lebanese government. The Israelis say they're responding to violations by Hezbollah. Meanwhile, over a dozen Lebanese have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect last week, according to the Lebanese government.
FADEL: Amid all this, Rima Korjieh of the aid group Lutheran World Relief is focused on helping the displaced in Lebanon. Korjieh says, as soon as the ceasefire was announced, the streets were full of people going back.
RIMA KORJIEH: Of course, the main concern was to find a home and not to find rubble. My family members - they found their homes largely intact. But the main issue was that the infrastructure was totally damaged - no electricity, no water, no gas. Even if they want to buy any foods item, they were forced to travel to another village.
FADEL: So are these places livable?
KORJIEH: For now, they are trying to fix the electricity, to fix the internet service. Of course, it would take time, and it needs money. And you know that Lebanon has been suffering from 2019 from the financial crisis. And a lot of those people were enduring the fact of losing their income.
FADEL: And their life savings, right? The banks collapsed.
KORJIEH: Yes. Exactly. So you can imagine the situation we are suffering right now.
FADEL: Who is helping? I mean, is the Lebanese government trying to help rebuild?
KORJIEH: Actually, it is mainly individual initiatives, along with local NGOs and RNGOs like Lutheran World Relief. So in South Lebanon, we were providing through a local partner hot meals for around more than 500 internally displaced people. In the bigger area, we were focusing on the hygiene, the cleaning kits, the water purifiers. In Beirut, we were providing, like, basic needs, mattresses, blankets. So mainly, our Lebanon, we can say, is depending right now on individual initiatives and the NGOs.
FADEL: So very little government help.
KORJIEH: Yes.
FADEL: What are the most urgent needs for people and families who have gone back to find their homes gone or unlivable?
KORJIEH: They are suffering. I can tell you my own experience from one of my friends. Their building was hit by around three rockets - OK? - so no more home. She lost all her family members - her father, mother, sister and brother. And I lost also my childhood friend. So the amount of suffering is very, very, very high. Urgently, they need money in order to fix their houses. They need the basic infrastructure, electricity, water, food. They need to also repair their businesses in order to restart their lives again with their dignity.
FADEL: Are you hopeful that this deal will be lasting?
KORJIEH: Actually, we have no other words than to pray and to hope. So we pray for God to sustain our normal lives in a peaceful way, hopefully.
FADEL: Rima Korjieh is a project officer with Lutheran World Relief in southern Lebanon. Thank you, Rima.
KORJIEH: Thank you very much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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