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Israel has been bombarding Lebanon since late February, after an assault on Iran by the United States prompted retaliatory attacks, leading to a huge escalation in violence across the Middle East. Israel has since ordered the evacuation of southern Lebanon, as well as parts of the capital, Beirut.
The humanitarian situation in the country is desperate, with hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee their homes. Health facilities are under intense strain, grappling with power shortages, supply gaps and overworked staff. Ambulance routes are frequently blocked by debris, ongoing bombardment and damaged roads, causing delays in lifesaving assistance. Even before the latest wave of mass displacement, nearly 874,000 people in Lebanon were classed as food insecure. Now, that number is set to rise as escalating hostilities and road closures obstruct the delivery of food, medical supplies and other essentials.
The scale of the crisis is enormous, with nearly 830,000 people displaced, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA). United Nations’ reports state around 200,000 children are among the displaced.
Israeli evacuation orders have forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave the south of Beirut and large swaths of southern Lebanon for the relative safety of the country’s north. Many families fled with nothing and are now sleeping in the open air.
Hundreds of schools and other public buildings have been converted into shelters that are now becoming desperately overcrowded.
Islamic Relief staff have described the tough conditions in the shelters.
“People are terrified and fleeing in panic, but the conditions in the shelters are appalling. Up to 25 people are sleeping in a classroom, there’s only one hour of electricity a day, rubbish is piling up, and there isn’t enough water.
“There are no locks on the doors, which puts people at risk, especially women and girls. There is no heating and the nights are cold. We went to one shelter that can officially host 75 families, but 120 have already arrived. But these families are the lucky ones – many more people spent the night on the side of the road,” Mohammed Taleb, an Islamic Relief aid worker in Beirut, speaking last week, said.
Lebanon has been beset by crises in recent years, including the 2020 Beirut port explosion and political and economic upheaval. In 2023, the country came under Israeli bombardment as the crisis in Gaza spread, prompting mass displacement and heaping strain on the country’s creaking infrastructure.
The vast numbers of displaced people in Lebanon are in urgent need of:
Islamic Relief is delivering aid to displaced families in need across Lebanon and recently launched an emergency appeal to support people in desperate need.
Since the start of the crisis, our teams in Lebanon have distributed:
As our response expands, we plan to focus on distributing more essential items including:
Along with this, we hope to begin to support shelters by trucking in water and installing latrines, as well as offering medical consultations to displaced people.
As we supply humanitarian aid, Islamic Relief is also calling for urgent de-escalation across the Middle East. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected, in accordance with international law. People must not be forced to leave their homes and must be assured safe access to humanitarian assistance.
Your generosity can help families in Lebanon to weather this crisis. Please donate to our Lebanon Emergency Appeal now.