Lower thirds:
0:03  Report by / Mohamad Chreyteh
0:28  Ali al-Zein / internally displaced from southern Lebanon
1:04  Mohamad Chreyteh / DW Beirut Bureau Chief 
1:47  Jihad Zahreddine, Displaced from southern Lebanon
2:29  Mohamad Chreyteh, DW Beirut Bureau Chief  
2:53  Omar Agha / Resident of Beirut
3:40  Nour Bitar – President Souk el-Balad 
4:15  Rima Morkos, Board Member - Souk el-Balad
4:44  Nout Bitar, President - Souk al-Balad 
5:03  Hazem Chebbo, Senior Chef – La Cloche
5:45  Ali al-Zein, internally displaced from southern Lebanon

Script:  
This is Beirut's famous seaside promenade - the corniche. During the day, life here almost feels normal.   
But as night falls, it turns into a refuge for Lebanese families displaced by the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. 
Ali al-Zein and his family have been sleeping here after fleeing his town of Baraashit in the country’s battered south.  
+++ Ali al-Zein, internally displaced from southern Lebanon   
I am here with four other families, there are 22 of us altogether. Some of us are sleeping in this car and some in the van. The women sleep in the van, some of the men sleep on the sidewalk.  It is very crowded for the women, they have to sleep standing up. It is very uncomfortable. I slept in the car for a few days, I have back pain. So now I sleep on the ground outside in the cold.  
 
This is the second time in less than two years that Ali has had to flee his home.  
He was displaced during the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war when he had to take shelter in a school here in Beirut.  
 
+++ PTC Mohamad Chreyteh, DW Beirut Bureau Chief  
For many families, this is the only place they could find after fleeing Israeli strikes in their towns and suburbs.  
Volunteers and passersby sometimes bring food, or extra blankets. But for many here, the biggest uncertainty is not tonight’s cold — it’s how long they will be forced to stay here. 
The Lebanese government has opened up schools and set up other temporary shelters. But that is nowhere near enough to take in the more than 800,000 people that have been displaced amid the most recent flare up with Israel. 
This school in central Beirut now shelters more than 200 people, among them Jihad Zahreddine and his family.  
 +++ Jihad Zahreddine, Displaced from southern Lebanon (ARABIC)  
We fled and left everything behind. These clothes were provided for us and for the children here at the school. They also bring us water and food every day. 
We hang our laundry on this balcony.  It’s just a window, we don’t really have a balcony. This is our only breather. We look outside and pray for relief. May God bring calm and peace, because we’re tired. The Lebanese people have been through so many struggles. 
 
The hardship is showing no signs of easing.  
A short distance away from the school, an Israeli strike hit an apartment building in a densely populated neighbourhood in the heart of Beirut.  
+++ PTC Mohamad Chreyteh, DW Beirut Bureau Chief  
The attack struck one of these apartments without any prior warning.  The pattern suggests a targeted assassination attempt, and it is adding to the growing frustration in Beirut, where many residents say nowhere feels safe anymore. 
  
This is not a Hezbollah controlled neighbourhood, but signs that any neighbourhood could become a target are growing.  
  
+++ Omar Agha – Resident of Beirut (ENGLISH)  
It’s a very peaceful and safe area but I think right nowhere in Lebanon is safe because you don’t know who’s living in this building. People bring some of their relatives, some of their friends, and you never know if one of them is maybe one of the individuals which Israel is targeting so yes, I think no one is safe right now. We hope and pray. 
  
Across the street, volunteers are mobilizing relief efforts.  Eight women lead the Souk al-Balad NGO. Together with dozens of volunteers, they have been helping those in need since the start of the war.  
  
+++ Nour Bitar – President Souk el-Balad (ENGLISH)  
Here we have the food aid box. It has approximately 16 items. We have grains, fava beans, rice, and more. Every box is supposed to be for a family of 4 people.  
Souk el-Balad collaborated with The Cloud Clinic and we’re now introducing the happy box for the displaced kids. It’s going to be a box containing around 20 items. There will be toys, jumping ropes, candies, chips, balloons, UNO cards, and coloring pencils, and booklets. 
  
The team relies on individual donations to raise funds, and on personal initiatives to stock food and clothing for those in need.  
  
+++ Rima Morkos, Board Member - Souk el-Balad (Arabic)  
Since the beginning of the war, we’ve been in close coordination with Beirut’s municipality, the government’s relief committee, and the World Food Program. We’re responsible for five schools that are sheltering more than 1,000 displaced people. We provide everything they need, from A to Z. And through this store, we’re also collecting additional donations that we distribute to people in other schools beyond those under our care.”  
  
+++ Nout Bitar, President - Souk al-Balad (English) (0149)  
As you can see now the boxes are to be delivered and since now it’s Ramadan we also collaborated with kitchens to supply iftar meals for the displaced families.  
 
In this kitchen, a team of cooks works around the clock to prepare iftar meals for thousands of fasting 
  
+++ Hazem Chebbo, Senior Chef – La Cloche (English) (0206)  
Today we are cooking fish Sayadiyeh. It’s a traditional Lebanese dish based on fish, rice and some spices.   
  
Back at the school, displaced kids are waiting for the treats.  
Volunteers from Souk al-Balad have arrived on time with toys and food.  
  
As the sun sets, Jihad breaks his fast.  
  
Back at the corniche, Ali and his family also got a meal for the evening.  
 
He says he believes the war will end soon.  
+++ Ali al-Zein, internally displaced from southern Lebanon  
“God willing it won’t take long. God willing, we will be back home in a week - maybe even sooner. It will pass.”  
 
But Ali’s hope feels far from reality.  
 
A short while later not far from where he was sitting, the corniche was hit by an Israeli strike. 8 displaced people were killed and 31 injured.  
 
Hezbollah launched barrages of rockets toward Israel,   
 
Israel pounded Beirut and its suburbs.  
All signs point to a conflict that is only escalating.  
   
THE END