Jamsheed is Media Correspondent for Islamic Relief Worldwide. He is writing a daily blog for us, as he travels, with aid workers from the charity, through the Middle East. DAY 5: THURSDAY 3 AUGUST 2006 Damaged roads
 | | On the road to Beirut |
I’m heading for Beirut today with two of my colleagues. I have an urgent meeting with some other aid organisations and need to be in the Lebanese capital by 10am. We head north and on the way we stop by a truck that has overturned. Its content of fruit has spilt onto the road. The driver was trying to negotiate a huge crater that was blocking his way and now his vehicle lies on its side tinkering close to the edge of the cracked and destroyed road. Journey time We drive around it and carry on our journey. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve passed by bombed roads and bridges. I’m worried about being late because we never know what condition the roads will be in when we head out every morning. Even a short journey in Lebanon can take hours. Bustling Beirut Fortunately we arrive in Beirut earlier than expected. It is a bustling city and traffic is heavy. Its population has increased significantly with the arrival of thousands civilians fleeing the South. But this is not a safe city - far from it. Calling for ceasefire
 | | Jamsheed in Nabatayyeh |
I meet with the other aid agencies and we are all concerned at the mounting humanitarian crisis. I tell them about what I have seen and it echoes what some of them have experienced. We are united in calling for a ceasefire and we hold a joint press conference calling for exactly that. Our message is simple – we need access to thousands of civilians cut off from aid. Nobody ventures south We plan to visit the southern suburbs of Beirut. The capital of Lebanon is a complex city. East Beirut is largely Christian; west and south Beirut is largely Muslim. It is in the south where the Israeli’s have been bombing. We can hear the bombs dropping and as a result nobody is interested in taking us there. Even when the bombing stops nobody will take us – they just don’t know when it will start again. Aid arrives We receive news that a ship carrying 80 tonnes of medical aid from Islamic Relief’s USA office will be arriving in Beirut the next day. We are delighted and my colleagues work on the logistics of making sure it reaches those who most need it. I don’t know why but I have a sad feeling that this crisis will get a lot worse before it gets better. I pray I am wrong. | 
