Islamic Relief aid workers in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon have described a night of terror for civilians as the region suffered its heaviest and deadliest bombing yet.

Last night Israeli airstrikes hit dozens of towns and villages in eastern Lebanon, with more than 60 people reported killed including young children. 120 people are reported injured and there are more bodies still under the rubble, with most casualties in and around the city of Baalbek.

The bombing has damaged major roads. It is restricting the efforts of aid agencies to deliver aid to survivors and people who have fled. Temperatures in the Bekaa Valley have dropped close to freezing in recent nights. Winter approaches fast. And newly displaced families urgently need blankets and warm clothing.

Farah Saifan, an Islamic Relief Project Officer based in the Bekaa Valley, described last night:

Lebanon’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis in Decades

The Israeli invasion and indiscriminate airstrikes are causing Lebanon’s worst humanitarian crisis in decades. People are living in constant fear.

Across Lebanon, more than 2,700 people have now been killed and over 12,500 wounded. More than 1.2 million people have now been forced from their homes. Many families now live in overcrowded school shelters where there is little food, clean water or sanitation. Over 400,000 people have fled to neighbouring Syria to try to escape the bombardment.

Since September Israeli bombing has spread all over Lebanon and has increased in the Bekaa Valley.

Saifan says: “We’ve seen a massive increase in bombing in the Bekaa Valley since September but it doesn’t receive as much attention. At night when bombs hit, there is very little information telling citizens what is happening. This has led to even greater fear and panic among civilians as they are scared for their families. At night, the sound of bombing becomes even louder. The bombs which the Israelis are using are getting more powerful and so loud that here in the Bekaa Valley we can even hear the airstrikes in southern Lebanon.”

Islamic Relief is working in the central Bekaa Valley, providing displaced people with food, hygiene kits and other vital aid. Across Lebanon, since the start of the response the charity has distributed food parcels to almost 16,000 families, nearly 4,000 hygiene kits, and thousands of blankets, mattresses and medical items.

We are urgently demanding that the Australian government immediately end all arms sales to Israel. We are clear that there must be an immediate and permanent ceasefire in both Gaza and Lebanon now.