Refugees: Contrasting Situations
8th August 2006
War hell to sunshine camp
Welcome to the world’s comfiest refugee camp. (Nitzanim Beach, Israel)
Bikini-clad mums frolic in the surf while their children play on bouncy castles on the beach under the blazing Mediterranean sun.
Teens in cossies play volleyball or sip ice-cold lemonade on sun loungers as reggae music beats out from a nearby café.
If Carlsberg did refugee camps this tent city at Nitzanim Beach in southern Israel would be just right.
It is home for now to 7,000 who have fled the Hezbollah deadly rockets fired from Lebanon into northern parts of the country.
No water, food, meds in shelters
Tyre, Lebanon - The crush of Lebanese fleeing their destroyed southern towns has put a massive strain on relief agencies here, leaving some refugees stranded in shelters without food, water or medicine.
Humanitarian workers have complained of being severely handicapped by the continued Israeli bombing of major roads.
They also noted a lack of security for their staff, with the fear of being a target for missiles and mortar fire a real concern.
This has left many evacuees who have made it to shelters in southern cities like Tyre effectively cut off, having to once again struggle to find a way to move farther north.
New York Daily News | 6th August 2006.
