Around 40 percent of more than 1 million people displaced in Lebanon due to Israeli attacks have returned to their home areas, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has said.
Citing officials from the UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Dujarric said on Wednesday, "This marks an important step towards recovery, [but] thousands of people remain displaced and continue to rely on humanitarian assistance."
"We reiterate that returns must be safe, they must be voluntary, they must be dignified, and people who return must have the access they need to humanitarian goods."
Mentioning that the World Food Programme and its partners delivered "much-needed" assistance to hard-to-reach areas across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, he said: "We continue to stress that humanitarian access must be granted to all those who need it."
Israel began its latest aggression in Lebanon in early March and has refused to withdraw from the territory despite a ceasefire and a framework deal mediated by the US.
Israel has killed over 4,240 people in Lebanon, wounded 12,190 others, and displaced over 1 million since March 2, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health.
