Since last September, the region-wide Israeli offensive has caused disastrous consequences for the civilian population in Lebanon. An estimated 475,000 people have already crossed the border between Lebanon and Syria in search of shelter. Of these, at least 71 per cent are Syrians who have already fled the same way in the past, but in reverse: from the war in Syria they had entered Lebanon, seeking refuge. Today they are going back, on a path without peace.

This is a story we know well. For years, whenever a conflict has affected the populations of the countries where we operate, we have been at the borders to provide reception, guidance and first aid to people fleeing wars. Today we return to do so in north-eastern Syria, where we have been operating since 2015, and where we immediately took action to provide aid and first aid in coordination with our local partners, the Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC), to Syrian and Lebanese people arriving

First, we set up two medical units at the main crossing points between the Syrian regime-controlled areas and the north-eastern area where we are present.

These medical units have been strategically placed at the first point of entry of incoming persons to provide essential medical services. The main objective of these mobile diagnostic units is to ensure that all persons in need of assistance receive the necessary support, in particular those wishing to cross into north-eastern Syria only to reach north-western Syria. This service is also crucial for people without identity papers, providing care and necessary help while waiting to receive them.

The UPP and KRC medical team ensured that these units are fully equipped with the necessary resources to provide high quality primary care, guaranteeing the presence of stable staff.

In addition, we have provided a 24-hour ambulance service to transport people in need to the nearest medical facilities. These are vehicles that KRC has provided and that shuttle between the clinics we have built together in Manbij and Raqqa.

Tents have been set up near the medical units, one for men and one for women, to provide privacy and rest for the arriving people: it often takes three to four days to reach the first crossing point into Syria from Lebanon. Some people are expressing a desire to continue on to north-western Syria, so they remain in tents while they complete the necessary paperwork, wait for documents and finalise their journeys. These processes take time, and the tents we have set up provide a place to wait.