Hundreds of people have attempted the dangerous crossing from Lebanon to Cyprus via the Mediterranean in recent months, according to Save the Children. The organization said the number of crossings increased significantly in September.
Ministers representing Cyprus and Lebanon recently reaffirmed a deal to intercept migrant boats attempting to reach Cyprus, making things de facto more difficult for those who hope to seek asylum in the country. Cyprus says its reception centers are full to capacity, and the country has been criticized for its treatment of migrants by NGOs.
According to a new report by Human Rights Watch, the Cypriot authorities have engaged in a series of pushbacks of migrants coming from Lebanon. The report focuses on several boats which arrived in August and September 2020 carrying more than 200 migrants, and is based on interviews with 15 Lebanese and Syrian nationals.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon says it provided "immediate assistance" on Monday to 37 people on a boat presumably in distress. One of the passengers had already died.
Lebanon is abolishing its sponsorship system for domestic workers, which many have likened to slavery. According to local media, the decision is "an enormous step" in the fight for human rights.
The Cypriot authorities have said they are "alarmed" after a total of five migrant boats arrived on or near their shores from Syria and Lebanon in the space of 48 hours. The boats were carrying a total of 183 migrants.
The UN agency for Palestine refugees UNRWA has called on the international community to ensure that aid to support Lebanon in the wake of the August 4 explosion in Beirut also goes to Palestine refugees.
Two massive explosions in Beirut in early August left more than 160 people dead, thousands injured, and hundreds of thousands without homes. Syrian refugee Ahmed Staifi lost his wife and two daughters.
UNHCR said Tuesday that 34 refugees were among the over 200 people killed in the August 4 explosion in Beirut and that 7 others are still missing.
Dozens of those who died in last week's explosion in Beirut are thought to have been Syrian refugees. Ahmed Staifi lost his wife and two daughters in the blast.
In the shantytown of Karantina in Beirut, immigrants and the poor remain without aid. Some are still trapped amid the rubble of the area's buildings that were devastated by the fury of the port's explosion on August 4.
Lebanon's economic crisis is hitting foreign domestic workers particularly hard. Because many employers can no longer afford to pay their wages, many kick the women out onto the streets.