In Lebanon, ‘misleading’ and sporadic Israeli evacuation orders instil fear

Two-year-old Ayham Ali Mohammad sat on his grandfather’s lap eating a banana across the street from Rafik Hariri Hospital in Jnah, on Beirut’s southern periphery.

Two days earlier, on October 22, an Israeli air attack had hit the Syrian toddler’s home, burying him under the rubble and taking down multiple buildings around him.

He was trapped for an hour before locals managed to pull him out, digging through the wreckage with their bare hands.

He now wears the scars of the attack on his face. He has two black eyes. Scrapes line his forehead, cheeks, lips and chin.

Dressed in a brown tracksuit, he was typically fidgety for his age. But, in calm moments, he stared off into space. He did not speak as his grandfather told his story.He and his father survived. But his mother and older brother, who were sleeping next to each other when the attack happened, did not. At least 18 people were killed in the attack, while about 60 were wounded.“There was an evacuation warning for Ouzai [a nearby suburb] but then they hit here,” said 40-year-old Hassan Bou Kaseb from the blast site. He lives next to the destroyed buildings. The Israeli army had given no warning, he and other locals said.