The shock explosion which ripped through Beirut this week plunged the city into an unimaginable humanitarian crisis with at least 150 people killed, more than 5,000 injured and 300,000 left homeless.

Caused by the ignition of 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, the explosion wreaked up to $5billion worth of damage, with buildings flattened and windows shattered for miles around. Even before the blast, the so-called Paris of the East was mired in economic disaster and struggling to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. Damage from the blast then forced three hospitals to close, leaving medics treating patients in the street.

Renowned as one of the most beautiful cities in the Middle East, the situation is unbearably bleak, and a range of short and long-term measures are urgently needed; firstly to provide lifesaving aid, and then to rebuild homes, hospitals and schools, and to offer mental health and trauma support.