Press Releases

As part of the Interagency response, UNHCR has released an Emergency Appeal for Lebanon, urgently seeking to $111 million to scale up the response and cover immediate needs across all vulnerable population groups, including Lebanese and refugee.

Demographic Distribution & Vulnerability

Since 24 September 2024, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been conducting Rapid Needs Assessments (RNA) and Key Informative Interviews to identify and address the evolving needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). As of 17 October, the assessments involved 1,892 displaced families, compromising 8,877 individuals: 1,576 Lebanese, 296 Syrians, 11 Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon, two Palestinian Refugees from Syria, and seven individuals from other nationalities. 32% of the surveyed individuals are children under 15, 8% are elderly, and 4%...

The Humanitarian Country Team in Lebanon, led by the Humanitarian Coordinator and supplementing national efforts, continues to respond to the humanitarian needs of the people affected by the increase in hostilities in Lebanon.

A new humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Syria as civilians forced to flee Israel’s bombardment in neighbouring Lebanon struggle to secure shelter, food, water, and protection, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Since October 8 there has been an increase in cross-border incidents between Israel and Lebanon, resulting in the displacement of people both within the South and elsewhere within the country.

As the conflict intensifies and humanitarian needs arise, soon exacerbated by winter challenges, WFP urgently requires US$ 116 million by the end of the year to sustain its emergency operations.

Children in Lebanon are at growing risk of health and protection issues – including waterborne diseases like cholera, hepatitis and diarrhoea – as the continued bombardment of the country increasingly disrupts and damages essential services that families rely on.

The situation in Lebanon continues to deteriorate, with Israeli airstrikes intensifying across heavily populated areas, including South Lebanon, Beirut, Mount Lebanon (BML), Bekaa and for the first time since the beginning of the conflict, North Lebanon.

UNHCR is aware of 11,700 Lebanese arrivals to Iraq since the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon through various points including the Al-Qaim border crossing (7,980) and airports in Baghdad and Najaf.

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) expresses its deep concern regarding the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, which has resulted in a significant loss of life, injury, and displacement.

Lebanon continues to experience its most intense conflict escalation since the 2006 July War.

2,350 people have been killed and almost 11,000 injured since the start of the escalation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel in October 2023.

Lebanon continues in the grip of a severe humanitarian crisis, with Israeli airstrikes intensifying and expanding into previously unaffected areas, impacting civilians and critical infrastructure.

Since early October 2024, Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in Lebanon have intensified and expanded, hitting civilian infrastructure, leading over 541,000 people to flee southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut.

I join you here today not just as a representative of UNICEF, but as a witness to the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Lebanon. Earlier this week, Carl Skau and I met families who have lost everything except hope.

As part of its continued support for the Lebanese people, Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) has dispatched 31 tons of urgent humanitarian aid to support the Lebanese people via a military aircraft from the Qatar Emiri Air Force, which included health, shelter, and food supplies.

Three weeks ago, Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes on Lebanon, a country that has already been through loss and destruction.

Highlights

• The government of Lebanon continues coordinating efforts to support over one million people affected by the escalation of hostilities on the Lebanon-Israel border. Nearly 75 percent of all casualties in the conflict took place since mid-September 2024, including reports of more than 890 children injured, and 127 children killed.
• National authorities have opened more than 1,060 collective shelters for over 188,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) – half of them women and children. Approximately 80 per cent of shelters are full.
• The Ministry of Public Health has confirmed a case of...

The conflict has triggered massive displacement, with over 1 million displaced individuals within Lebanon, and more than 276,000 people (30% Lebanese and 70% Syrian) have fled the violence to Syria according to UNHCR.

As part of its response to the crisis in Lebanon the ILO will enhance living conditions in collective shelters for displaced families while also providing work opportunities for local communities living near the shelters.