A tent for displaced persons on the corniche in Ain al-Mreisseh, Beirut. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'OLJ)
Did displaced individuals along Beirut’s waterfront actually throw away food meant for them? Videos shared this week on social media showing dozens of prepared meals dumped in trash bins in Ain el-Mreisseh sparked outrage among users.
One of the videos shows plastic containers with food in at least three garbage bins. “They shouldn’t be given food anymore,” reacted one user. “Are you sure those who did this are Lebanese?” asked another, hinting at the fact that Syrian and Palestinian refugees are among those displaced by Israeli strikes. Samer Yaacoub, head of the Beirut governorate’s crisis cell, assured L'Orient-Le Jour that the food was not discarded by the displaced. “These meals had expired and were thrown away by one of the schools hosting the displaced,” he explained.
“Some schools were receiving food aid from many sources and ended up with a surplus. One of them kept meals overnight, and they spoiled,” Yaacoub added. “They then discarded some in trash bins and placed the rest in two boxes, which they left on a plot of land to avoid causing a stir. Unfortunately, the controversy erupted after the videos were shared online,” he continued.
Following intensified bombings in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, hundreds of thousands of people fled these regions. Some were hosted in schools and centers prepared by authorities, while others are now sleeping along the corniche in Beirut or in the city center, and some are renting apartments. Authorities estimate that there are currently 1.2 million displaced people in the country.
Yaacoub stated that the Beirut governorate’s crisis cell now holds weekly meetings with reception centers and associations providing meals “to ensure that everyone has enough to eat and that there is no food surplus.”
The displaced mainly rely on personal initiatives and organizations for food.
Several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, have been regularly supplying Lebanon with food and medical aid since the war between Hezbollah and Israel intensified in recent weeks.
