Speaking to Sputnik on how it feels to be displaced due to Israeli attacks, Lebanese citizen Zaynab Nemr said that leaving her native town was "a hard decision."
"But we knew it was necessary for our safety. The sounds of war surrounded us and staying [in the town of Aynata] wasn't an option anymore. The [Israeli] airstrikes were constant and the once peaceful town had become unsafe," Nemr, a young girl who currently serves as research assistant and GIS specialist at the American University of Beirut, noted.
Destruction on the streets of Ayanata.
© Photo : Zaynab Nemr
Upon moving to the Lebanese capital, Zaynab and her dear ones realized the fact that staying in the city "wasn't safe anymore because the Israeli military destroyed a lot of buildings every night."
"They used huge bombs, and maybe they used uranium. The result of this bombing was danger to the environment, to us, to everything. Because we inhaled chemical products that maybe contain uranium and other dangerous chemicals," Zaynab said.
The most terrible moment she went through in Beirut occurred a week ago, according to Zaynab. "There was a powerful explosion in Dahieh near Beirut, and it was like an earthquake. I was at the supermarket at the time and I felt that explosion, seeing the light of it," she added.
People are sleeping on the streets of Beirut.
© Photo : Zaynab Nemr
Nemr argued that as compared to the 2006 Lebanon war, the current one is "more horrible and terrific." The Israeli forces "try everything on us. They try every single thing that they have produced in order to then try and attack us with it," per the American University of Beirut specialist.
Zaynab, who also works alongside the university team to support other displaced people in Beirut, underscored that she had her own motivations for going ahead with the job.
"What motivates me to continue working is the belief that we are not just providing aid but helping people take control of their own future. My purpose is to help our people regain their strength and self-sufficiency, even in the face of hardship," Zaynab concluded.