“Where are we supposed to go?” The road out of Dahiyeh and Lebanon’s forced evacuations

Israel’s blanket evacuation orders for Dahiyeh and southern Lebanon breach the core safeguards of Fourth Geneva Convention (Article 49) which require safe routes and swift returns. It has driven more than 500, 000 people into forced displacement and urban collapse under the cover of “civilian protection” rhetoric. “We’re still here, but nobody knows where we are supposed to go.” The message arrived from my friend in Haret Hreik, a district of Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, following evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military for Beirut’s southern suburbs and large parts of southern Lebanon. Evacuation… a word that travels effortlessly through diplomatic corridors, carrying with it the reassurance of humanitarian precaution, suggesting that civilians are warned and depart in time […]