“People are exploding,” says Brazilian waiting for rescue in Lebanon
Lindaura Lianes Hijazi, a 51-year-old Brazilian housewife, is currently living in a crowded shelter in Beirut with her husband and two young children. They fled their home in the city’s southern neighborhood, which was devastated by Israeli airstrikes. Hijazi's family is now awaiting a flight organized by the Brazilian government to help them leave Lebanon.
“Those missiles destroyed more than seven buildings near my home. The area where I used to live is devastated. A bomb like that can blow up an entire building. The last time I was home, they dropped over ten bombs without any warning. Everything shook like an earthquake, and I thought I was going to die right there,” said the Brazilian woman from Assis Chateaubriand, in the state of Paraná, in an interview with Agência Brasil.
Hijazi has lived in Lebanon since 1991 and has experienced two previous wars. She is the mother of six children, two of whom are minors. The housewife recounted the horror of Israel's pager attack, during which hundreds of portable communication radios exploded across various parts of Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah leaders. In total, at least 12 people lost their lives, and around 3,000 were injured.
“You could walk down the street and see people blowing themselves up everywhere—at the mall, in every location. Two explosions occurred near my house, and one of those devices completely destroyed an apartment,” recounted the Brazilian.
She decided to leave her home after the fifth bombing in her now-desolate neighborhood. Additionally, she expressed frustration that her bank limits her to withdrawing only $300 a month, preventing her from purchasing plane tickets to escape Lebanon.
“Now we're waiting, God willing, for President Lula to send a plane to rescue us. If it weren't for my two small children, I would choose to stay here,” she said.
Hijazi also spoke about the psychological pressure she, her children and her family have been experiencing. “My children are strong like me, but they scream and panic when the bombs fall. My sister-in-law, who is Lebanese, gets desperate when she hears the sounds of the bombs,” she said.
Background
Since September 23, Israel has been carrying out massive bombardments against Lebanese cities. It is estimated that, in just over a week, over 1,000 people have died and 1 million have had to flee their homes, according to United Nations (UN) agencies.
Israel claims that the attacks on Lebanon are aimed at destroying the infrastructure and leadership of Hezbollah, a political and military group that has carried out attacks on northern Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah has vowed to continue its operations as long as Israeli forces maintain their occupation of Gaza.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that a Brazilian Air Force plane is scheduled to evacuate approximately 3,000 Brazilians seeking to leave Lebanon.
Lebanon is home to the largest community of Brazilians in the Middle East, with a total of 21,000 Brazilians residing in the country.
