Apostolic nuncio visits villages in eastern sector of Israeli-occupied areas

SOUTH LEBANON — Apostolic Nuncio Paolo Borgia on Monday visited villages in the eastern sector of south Lebanon that remain inhabited despite Israeli strikes in surrounding areas, fighting with Hezbollah, and the ongoing occupation of the border strip.

His visit, accompanied by several associations including Caritas-Lebanon, aimed to bring support and humanitarian aid to the populations who have chosen to remain in their villages.

Mgr. Borgia notably visited Kfar Shuba, in the Arkoub (Hasbaya district), accompanied by the president of Caritas-Lebanon, Father Samir Ghaoui. The president of the municipal council, Kassem Kadiri, explained to him the needs of the region and the challenges faced by its residents, who rely on humanitarian aid to stay on their land. In Kfar Hammam, the delegation distributed aid to 1,040 families, including hygiene products and medications. In Jdeidet Marjayoun, the apostolic nuncio visited the government hospital, where further aid was also delivered.

The next stop was the Christian village of Qlayaa, where the delegation was welcomed at the village church by the parish priest, Antonios Farah, and the president of the municipality, Hanna Daher.

Father Farah emphasized "the importance of the dispensary established in the Caritas center in the village" for a community now cut off from the rest of Lebanon by the Israeli occupation. He described the daily security threats faced by the population, lamenting the recent loss of life and destruction.

More than a week ago, a father from the village and his two children were killed in an Israeli drone strike as they were returning to Qlayaa, near the Khardali road, a few kilometers further north. Father Farah expressed hope that residents would be granted permission to go to the fields for the harvest, in order to reinvigorate the local economy.