Inside Lebanon’s ‘yellow zone’, where locals face a daily battle for food and medicine

Civilians inside Lebanon’s “yellow zone” are fighting a daily battle just to secure basic food and medical care as they live under military occupation in what locals are calling a strict siege.

For some living in the nation’s south, surviving the border crisis also means holding together a community under constant threat by delivering aid and keeping an eye on the safety of hundreds.

Ghenwa Hanna Farah lives in Ain Ebel, a predominantly Maronite village about 90km south of Beirut situated within the “yellow zone”.

The district is a designated border buffer under Israeli military occupation, as it continues its ongoing combat against Iranian proxy – and listed terror group – Hezbollah.

While most of the region has been evacuated, people in several areas – including Ain Ebel – have been allowed to remain, albeit with severe movement restrictions.

Locals describe the conditions as an ongoing humanitarian siege that has left much of the region completely isolated.

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Farah told nine.com.au about the constant fear she lives under in the highly volatile region as she simultaneously delivers aid to families also battling for survival.

“Life became very difficult here during the siege,” she said.

Despite calls for the evacuation of most of the Israeli occupied villages in the nation’s south, some citizens in non-Shia-majority areas were allowed to stay, albeit under strict oversight.

Even those living in authorised towns have suffered from food and electricity shortages and limited healthcare, experiences that Farah and other residents have felt first-hand.

“We spent many days without fresh vegetables and fruits, food became very limited, and we were afraid of being completely cut off, which could have left us without electricity.

“Medical care was also very difficult, many patients had to wait for permission before they could go to Beirut.”

The yellow demarcation line is based on the zone where Israeli forces withdrew after the first phase of last October’s Gaza ceasefire plan, after being established on April 18, and severely limits the movement of people within it and has proven fatal for others.

“Three young men from our village were killed while fixing an internet connection,” Farah said.

“More recently, rockets fell near homes, one hit a house where a family was living.”

The United Nations reported that since March 2, more than 4300 in Lebanon’s south had been killed, including 392 women and 253 children, while more than 12,000 people have been injured.

Independent human rights experts appointed by the UN said on Thursday that civilians are paying a “devastating and disproportionate toll”, as homes continue to be turned to rubble with entire towns being levelled or cut off.

Farah told nine.com.au that when the war began the municipality formed a local crisis committee, bringing together community volunteers and representatives from different political parties.

She joined the team and began distributing aid to families, keeping track of the people who remained in the village, and coordinating with a team in Beirut to follow up on those who were displaced due to the conflict.

The UN said that more than 1.2 million people have been dispossessed across Lebanon, mostly from the nation’s south.

That is more than 20 per cent of the nation’s entire population.

Many of those who have been uprooted amid the conflict fled to Syria or northern Lebanon.

As she continues to help those impacted by the ongoing crisis, Farah co-founded The Family Fund, a charity collecting donations for medical expenses, hospital bills, medication, school fees, and other urgent needs.

“What motivated me was simple: when you see people around you struggling, you can’t just stand by,” she told nine.com.au.

“Everyone did their best to support one another so that every family could continue living with their dignity, even during the hardest time.

“For many of us, this crisis hasn’t really ended. We are still living with its uncertainty every day and every moment.”

While uncertainty circles the region as Iran and the US continue to trade air strikes, Farah said she wishes people looking from the outside in don’t make assumptions about innocent civilians caught in the strife.

“I wish that everyone understands that behind every headline there are families trying to survive, parents trying to protect their children, and communities doing everything they can to hold on to a normal life,” she said.

“We have been living here through an extremely difficult and uncertain situation, and sometimes the greatest support is simply knowing that someone sees our humanity and understands what we are going through.”

Last month, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli soldiers will not withdraw from the zone even if the US “demands it”.

He added that the “200,000 will not return” to their homes.

On Tuesday, Israel said it is preparing a planned withdrawal from occupied territory in Lebanon, with the nation claiming Lebanese armed forces will take over security operations.

The initial “pilot program” will see forces withdraw from three villages in the country’s south, according to a statement received by CNN earlier this week.

“The IDF will adjust its force posture in one of the pilot areas in order to enable the Lebanese Armed Forces to carry out their mission, while safeguarding the security of IDF soldiers and preserving its right to self-defence and to remove threats,” the statement read.

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“The pilot serves as a test of the Lebanese Armed Forces’ sovereignty in the three pilot villages.”

The US will oversee the pilot withdrawal.

However, a full withdrawal appears a long way off, with Israel and the US repeatedly stating no ceasefire or truce will hold until Hezbollah is disarmed.

With no end in sight, Farah said solidarity and unity within the community is what gives her hope during such a precarious period.

“Peace and stability should always be the priority,” she said.

“Civilians should never be forgotten, and every person deserves the chance to live with dignity, security, and hope for the future.”