Flash Appeal: Lebanon, October - December 2024 (October 2024) [EN/AR]

Crisis Overview

Lebanon is facing the largest escalation of conflict since the 2006 Lebanon War, with 1,030 people killed between 16 to 27 September, including 87 children and 156 women, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). In the early hours of Monday, 23 September, a large-scale military operation launched by Israel in Lebanon resulted in the deadliest exchange of fire across the Blue Line since October 2023. Israeli airstrikes have since hit dozens of towns across all governorates of Lebanon, including South Lebanon (Saida, Tyre), Nabatieh, and Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut, which has an estimated population of 700,000 people and is home to two Palestine refugee camps, leading to mass displacement from that area following the attacks on 27 September.

The latest escalation was preceded by an unprecedented increase in attacks across the Blue Line since October 2023. Between 7 October 2023 and 20 September 2024, over 10,200 attacks were reportedly exchanged between Israel and Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon, including over 8,300 attacks carried out by Israel killing at least 752 people in Lebanon and over 1,900 attacks by Hezbollah and other armed groups killing at least 33 Israelis, according to Armed Conflict Location Event Data (ACLED). On 19 and 20 September, simultaneous attacks against communications equipment in Lebanon—including pagers and two-way radios—killed 37 people and injured more than 3,000, according to MoPH.

Displacement now surpasses the 2006 war, triggered by intense Israeli strikes and orders for civilian evacuations. As of 29 September, national authorities estimate more than one million people have been displaced. The intense military escalation has caused mass displacement, mainly from southern Lebanon and Beirut’s densely populated southern suburbs. With people still on the move, the 29 September 2024 edition of the IOM DTM (round 49) accounts for 350,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Further data collection rounds will be conducted in coming days, and the displaced figure is expected to increase. Many of the displaced persons displaced multiple times since October 2023. Most displaced people require urgent assistance, having had to flee their homes rapidly without the basic items they need for daily life. The communities and centres hosting them also require support. Refugees are facing even more difficult circumstances now due to a lack of access to shelter and essential services. Displacement from Lebanon to Syria has also been reported, with some 70,000 people estimated to have crossed as of 29 September.

The ongoing violence and rapidly deteriorating security situation is putting hundreds of thousands of people’s lives at risk on both sides of the Blue Line. Nearly 90 per cent of Lebanon’s population lives in urban areas, including in sprawling and densely populated urban neighborhoods, making mass casualties in urban areas a particular concern. Older people, people with disabilities, and other people unable to flee due to different barriers, are at heightened risk in areas under bombardment and attack.

Essential infrastructure has been damaged, destroyed and strained. Before 20 September, at least 4,000 residential buildings had been destroyed, while 20,000 others severely damaged, since October 2023, according to the Council for South Lebanon. As of 28 September 2024, 25 water facilities are reported damaged impacting nearly 300,000 people, and 37 health facilities are closed across the country. Children’s access to education has also been directly impacted. Most of the 795 buildings that serve as collective centres are schools/educational establishments, affecting access to education for students. This adds to existing challenges for education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, political instability, economic downturns, and continuous conflict. The start of the new school year has been postponed until October, exacerbating the impact on children.

This catastrophic escalation in hostilities comes against a backdrop of a multi-layered and complex governance, economic and financial crisis in Lebanon, which has been marked by a steady deterioration of social stability and systems, and internal and external shocks such as COVID-19 and the Beirut Port explosion in 2020. The economic and financial crisis has caused Lebanon’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to decrease from $54.9 billion in 2018 to $17.94 billion in 2023. The country is grappling with hyperinflation, which has eroded the purchasing power of individuals, making everyday goods and services unaffordable. Poverty has more than tripled in the last decade, and now affects 44 per cent of the total population in Lebanon, according to the World Bank. Data from June 2023 suggests that 59 per cent of Lebanese households (and of these 86% of female headed households), excluding refugees, faced substantial challenges in meeting their needs, primarily driven by disrupted livelihoods.

Lebanon is estimated by its government to be hosting 1.5 million displaced Syrians (who fled the crisis in Syria), 23,026 Palestinian Refugees from Syria, 180,000 Palestine Refugees in Lebanon and over 11,200 refugees of other nationalities, making it the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometer in the world, according to UNHCR. Bekaa governorate in eastern Lebanon hosts the largest Syrian population. While most are living in host communities, 20 per cent remain in informal settlements, with another 9 per cent in non-residential buildings such as factories and schools, according to REACH. A significant proportion of Syrian households—including female-headed households—were already living in shelters that were overcrowded prior to this escalation, including some in danger of collapse, according to the Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon, carried out by UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP in 2022. Some 45 per cent of Palestine refugees in Lebanon are estimated to live in the country’s 12 refugee camps, often in unsafe and dilapidated housing. Some 80 per cent of Palestine refugees were reported to be living below the national poverty line as of March 2023, according to UNRWA. In addition, there are 176,504 Migrants in Lebanon, according to the IOM's latest Migrant Presence Monitoring published in August 2024. Mount Lebanon and Beirut governorates host the majority, with 101,178 migrants (57 per cent) and 32,885 migrants (19 per cent), respectively.

In support of the Government-led emergency response, the humanitarian community is launching this Flash Appeal to enable partners to rapidly deliver principled and effective humanitarian assistance for three months (from October to December 2024). The appeal calls for $425,745,000 to deliver life-saving assistance and protection to one million Lebanese, Syrians, Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria, and migrants. An immediate injection of additional funding will be crucial for meeting existing and new humanitarian needs of people caught in the middle of escalated hostilities.

This Flash Appeal is fully complementary to, and supportive of, the Lebanon Response Plan (LRP) 2024, which remains the primary planning framework in the country supporting an integrated humanitarian and stabilization response, co-led with the Government. Under the LRP, partners appealed for US$2.72 billion to address the impact of the pre-existing crises in Lebanon in 2024, with just 25 per cent funding received as of mid-year. The LRP covers immediate and medium-term needs across all vulnerable population groups, including Lebanese, refugees and migrants, including through support to Lebanese institutions and public services amid the multi-faceted crisis. It is therefore imperative that funding to the LRP continues and increases during this period of crisis, alongside funding for the Flash Appeal. For an overview on response achievements to date in 2024 under the LRP please see here.1