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Last Updated: Thursday, 27 July 2006, 19:17 GMT 20:17 UK
Voices from the conflict: Thursday
Civilians in Lebanon and Israel are being hit very hard as the conflict continues for a third week.

Here are some of their stories.

NADEEN AUDI, 23, TYRE, LEBANON

Tyre resident, Nadeen Audi

I'm with my family on the fifteenth floor of Tyre's tallest building. They could target us at any time, but what will happen, will happen.

My father owns the building, so he wants to stay.

He rents apartments to people, including one of the four UN workers who was killed by Israel this week, Jarno from Finland. He lived on the second floor of this block.

It's like a ghost town here.

We have a shelter in the building, but we gave it to people who escaped from villages in the south. We are more comfortable than many.

Yesterday I was sitting on the balcony when they bombed a building about a hundred metres away. I was listening to Jon Bon Jovi on my Walkman when the blast threw me off my chair.

It was a residential building. We don't know why they hit it.

I support Hezbollah now

My mother is freaked out all the time. When it starts she goes and sits on the stairs on the first floor.

The doorman buys our bread for us. We have enough food for two months; it fills four fridges. We have two, and the other fridges are in apartments on other floors. The tenants gave my father permission when they left.

I support Hezbollah now. Before, I didn't know much about them except that they made Israel withdraw in 2000 and that I was glad about it.

Hezbollah are just defending their land. Israel is the terrorist, it's killing children.

ZE'EV PEARL, SAFED, NORTHERN ISRAEL

Children sleep in a shelter in Safed
Hezbollah says it has enough rockets to hit Israel "for months"

I'm still in my home town which is about 13km (8 miles) from the northern border. But about 60% of people have left.

It's good because it means they won't be hurt, but others have nowhere to go.

The economy is hurt so much, people don't have enough money. There isn't a market any more.

The town is closed: no banks, no post office. Some supermarkets open a few hours a day.

I'm helping volunteers who come from the centre of Israel bringing aid packages.

It's not OK to get 1,600 Katyushas in two weeks

My youngest son came from Tel Aviv with a convoy of good people who brought food. I felt very proud.

I used to be mayor here so it's important for people to see me in the town. If I go people will think things really are bad.

I don't think it's OK to get 1,600 Katyushas in two weeks. I got one 100 metres from my home yesterday.

One person has been killed in Safed, on the street. And 20 have been injured.

I think everyone will come back. But if there are still armed militia in southern Lebanon, maybe some people think it won't be a good place to live.

No Western powers want to fight Hezbollah; we have to do it ourselves.

GEORGE BITAR, BEIRUT, LEBANON

Two Lebanese men who's houses have been destroyed
Israeli jets continue to pound suspected Hezbollah positions

I don't want to cry in front of you but what's happening really is a disaster.

We live in southern Beirut, so I've brought my wife to my parents' in Ashrafiyeh, a Christian part of town to be safe.

I was Christian but became Shia when I married my wife.

This is making us like Hezbollah even more.

My wife's sister is a widow. Her husband was a militant in Hezbollah and was killed 10 years ago in the south. Hezbollah looks after her and her four children; their schools, medicine, and clothes are all paid for until they graduate and get married.

If Hezbollah get money from Iran, they really do give it to the people, not like other politicians.

At least Hezbollah give us dignity, which is very important.

Here in Beirut fruit and vegetables are very expensive because they come from Bekaa and the south and it's hard to transport from there because the roads are damaged.

They have cut the electricity. We only get about four to six hours a day.

But the price of petrol is now back to normal. At first it went up. We can buy as much as we want. I drive to our apartment every two or three days.

I need to check it's still there.






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