notes from the middle east war｜in beirut, supermarket shopping carts are “full of uneasiness”
2024-10-04
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xinhua news agency, beirut, october 4th - notes from the middle east war | in beirut, supermarket shopping carts are "full of uneasiness"
xinhua news agency reporter li jun xie hao
in a large supermarket in the urban area of beirut, the capital of lebanon, there was a long queue in front of the checkout counter. everyone lowered their heads and waited silently for the checkout. people had little communication with each other, only the beeping of the cash register constantly broke the solemn silence.
the air in beirut is thick with unease. since the death of lebanese hezbollah leader hassan nasrallah in an israeli air strike on september 27, the situation has become increasingly tense, and the haze of war has weighed heavily on every corner of the city.
lana, a 40-year-old mother, filled her shopping cart with bread, milk and frozen vegetables. "i don't know how long the war will last." her voice was full of worry. "i have to store enough food for my family in case i can't go out in the next few days or even weeks. frozen vegetables can last longer."
the young father ali also came to the supermarket with his daughter. each bag of potatoes weighing more than ten kilograms occupied most of his shopping cart. ali looked tired. "i don't know how long we can stay here. the war in the southern suburbs has spread." he said softly. "whenever night comes, my daughter will be woken up by the sound of explosions and cry hard. i only hope that the war will come sooner." it’s over and gives us a little breathing space.”
after nasrallah was killed in the attack, israeli air strikes expanded from the southern suburbs of beirut to the city. on september 30, a residential building in the kura area of beirut was bombed. this was israel's first attack on beirut city since the conflict between israel and hezbollah broke out in october last year. on october 1, an air strike in the jinnah area of beirut caused 3 deaths and 31 injuries; in the early morning of the 3rd, an air strike in the bashura area of beirut killed at least 6 people, and the sound of ambulances kept coming. these air raids were not far from where xinhua news agency reporters were stationed, and the jinnah area was less than one kilometer away. the huge explosions that day were deafening, and a few seconds later there was a strong smell of gunpowder smoke, which made people cough.
unlike the scene in the supermarket where people are still queuing up to make purchases, the restaurants nearby have closed. the streets of beirut have been particularly deserted in the past few days. international chain stores such as starbucks, pizza hut and mcdonald's have been closed for many days, and some windows still have advertisements for newly launched set meals.
there was a time when these fast food restaurants were filled with laughter and laughter. in the coffee shop, customers picked up the steaming coffee and chatted about daily trivial matters... however, the hustle and bustle at that time has now become a memory of yesterday.
hassan, 25, was sitting in front of the closed starbucks store. he was a regular customer here, often coming here in the afternoon to have a cup of coffee and chat with friends. "the war has ruined our lives. years of war have left the lebanese economy and society in jeopardy. the escalating lebanese-israeli conflict has made it even more difficult to see the future." hassan said in a low voice, "i really hope that the past can be restored as soon as possible. life".
air strikes continued and the conflict escalated sharply. every explosion is like a heavy hammer hitting the heart of every lebanese. (over)
