Lebanese Christians Forced to Flee Village Amid Israeli Bombardment
In the suburbs of Beirut, the sound of church bells echoed amid distant gunfire and explosions, as a large congregation dressed in black gathered at the Sacred Heart church. They were commemorating the death of Sami Ghafari, a 66-year-old villager killed by a drone strike while tending to his vegetables in south Lebanon. This gathering also marked the symbolic death of their village, Alma al Shaab, home to approximately 200 Christian families who have all been compelled to abandon their homes due to escalating violence.
Evacuation and Terror Under Church Shelter
The last group of evacuees, numbering 83 individuals, was guided out of the area by UN peacekeepers, with most proceeding directly to the church for refuge. Resident Elias Konsol described the past nine days as "terrifying," stating, "Every day that we sleep, we don't know in the morning if we will be alive." He revealed that the decision to leave came at midnight when they feared Israeli forces were entering the village, prompting a desperate exodus.
Initially, many residents refused to heed evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military on 1 March. Instead, they brought blankets and bedding to pack into the hall beneath their village church, seeking shelter from daily shelling and strikes. Villager Joe Sayyah explained, "Every day at five or six, we went under the church to the hall. This is the time when the shelling and strikes would happen all around the village, even during the day. We could only check on our homes and come back. We couldn't do anything else."
Final Straw and Humanitarian Disaster
The death of Sami Ghafari served as the final catalyst for evacuation. Mayor Shady Saayah, appearing distraught, expressed the loss of land and dignity, emphasizing, "Lebanon starts from Alma [al Shaab]." He recounted that the local UNIFIL commander warned residents they could not guarantee protection if they stayed, leading to the collective decision to flee. "We are not 83 martyrs to be," he declared, highlighting the villagers' refusal to become casualties.
In a poignant moment, Mayor Saayah showed a tattoo on his left forearm depicting a cross and Lebanon's patron saint, stating, "We believe in saints, not weapons. All we want is peace." This gathering at the Sacred Heart church represents just one story from over a week of conflict, but it underscores a broader humanitarian disaster that has upended the nation, forcing communities to choose between faith and survival amidst relentless violence.
