This Protection Sector Analysis Report by the Protection Working Group covers the recent developments in Lebanon, focusing on the period following the ceasefire announcement in Lebanon on 27 November 2024 and the cross-border displacement of Syrians following the fall of the Assad government in Syria.
In 2024, SARD reached 292,866 individuals across northwest Syria and Türkiye’s Adıyaman Province. This report highlights the collective impact of our teams, partners, and donors over the past year—spanning the sectors of Shelter, Protection, Early Recovery, and more.
New data by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has revealed that local communities in South Sudan are struggling to effectively integrate people fleeing the devastating war in Sudan – including Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees – two years on.
Since the collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza on the night between 17 and 18 March, intense military activities and hostilities have continued, killing and injuring hundreds of people and further damaging and destroying what remains of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals.
An estimated 11.5 million people have been uprooted within Sudan, and 3.5 million forced to flee into neighbouring countries including Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya and Uganda (UN OCHA, IOM).
Over a decade of conflict has resulted in Syria being extensively contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war, a major barrier to safe return and reconstruction efforts, Human Rights Watch said today.
Over a decade of conflict has resulted in Syria being extensively contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war, a major barrier to safe return and reconstruction efforts, Human Rights Watch said today.
WFP is working to scale up assistance in Sudan for 7 million people by mid-year in Sudan. In Libya, in February, WFP distributed food assistance to 4,285 individuals and reached 342 children under five and 125 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls.
In South Darfur, where the presence of government programmes, UN organisations and their agencies, and international INGOs is very limited, MSF finds itself operating in a context where needs extend far beyond access to medical care.
Since the ceasefire on 19 January, the delivery of vital assistance to Gaza has improved. UNICEF’s Post Distribution Monitoring showed improvements in dietary diversity, particularly for children and pregnant women. The increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, eggs, and dairy products, along with better access to supplementary feeding programmes, has contributed to steady improvements in acute malnutrition rates.
Since the start of 2025, 859 trucks carrying aid from seven UN agencies have crossed from Türkiye to Syria—more than eight times the number during the same period last year.
Phase One of the Gaza ceasefire, from 19 January to 1 March 2025, allowed the humanitarian community to rapidly implement a prepared scale-up of its response. It enabled the daily entry of a large volume of humanitarian supplies and a steady stream of fuel.
Against the backdrop of 16 months of active hostilities and a fragile situation in Gaza, protection actors note a steady deterioration of the protection environment in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
In 2025, children in Lebanon are bearing the profound toll of the conflict that escalated across the country in 2024. A new UNICEF report exposes the deterioration of key support systems for children — such as safe learning environments, and access to healthcare, nutrition, and clean water — leading to heightened risks of exploitation, barriers to processing emotional trauma, and significant challenges to their cognitive and social development.
Ongoing military activities and the widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services—both during the conflict and after the cessation of hostilities—continue to hinder the safe return of displaced individuals.
Following the second deadline for the cessation of hostilities on 18 February 2025, the country to the south of Lebanon withdrew from population centres in southern Lebanon while maintaining a military presence in five strategic locations along the Blue Line.
On 2 March, Israeli authorities announced a halt to humanitarian aid entering Gaza, jeopardizing progress made in delivering vital, lifesaving assistance since the ceasefire took effect on 19 January.
Among key priorities for the Government identified by the Prime Minister in his statement upon the occasion were implementation of Resolution 1701, ensuring a complete Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, asserting the state’s sovereignty over all its territories exclusively through its forces and securing post-conflict reconstruction.
In 2024, Syrian children continued to endure the effects of the ongoing conflict, economic collapse, and displacement, culminating in the fall of the government on 8 December. The humanitarian situation remains fluid and unpredictable.
Renard emphasized the importance of continuing the current surge. “The ceasefire must hold, and all border crossings must remain open and operational at full capacity. There can be no going back.”
