Israeli strikes kill 600, displace 90,000 as Lebanese civilians flee in Desperation

Israeli air strikes have forced thousands of Lebanese civilians to flee their homes in search of safety, as cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah escalate, displacing tens of thousands on both sides.

Recent Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have claimed over 600 lives, injured thousands, and displaced 90,000 people, , according to BBC news .

Further east in Lebanon, residents are trying to avoid the worst of the conflict. Amani Deni, who lives in Beirut, returned to her mother's home in the Bekaa Valley , which has so far experienced fewer air strikes. She is now hosting 13 relatives who fled from the Baalbek area.

"They are all staying together in our house, which has only one bedroom and one living room. I had to sit with the kids and say, 'We do have air strikes in this area, but it’s safer than Baalbek where you come from.'"

Deni is also volunteering at local schools, helping to distribute food to displaced families . "The situation is really hard," she said. "Many people are staying in schools and local volunteers are doing what they can to provide food and psychological support."

Among those fleeing the violence is Valentine Nesser, a journalist who escaped the south with her family after an intense bombardment made Monday one of the deadliest days Lebanon has seen in decades.

"We went to Mount Lebanon, about 30 minutes from Beirut, which is currently considered a safe zone," she said. What should have been a short journey took 15 hours as thousands of civilians clogged the roads in a desperate attempt to get away. "We came here without anything, because the bombs were everywhere and we want to be safe as soon as possible."

Nesser and her family are now staying in a hotel that has been converted into a displacement centre. "There are more than 300 people here now, with the number increasing. We have, like, 50 people in the same room. Many people still haven't found a place to stay and some have been forced to sleep in their cars," she explained.

Omar Hayek, who works with Médecins Sans Frontières asked "In the Bekaa area, we don't have many exits. If you want to flee, you can flee to Syria, but is Syria safe?". "You feel like you're lost", he added.