DCA has suspended all activities and all hands are on deck in support of the thousands of people fleeing bombs and fighting.
After a tense year of exchanging rockets and missiles in small numbers across the Israel-Lebanon border since October 2023, Israel launched a full-scale attack on Lebanon and Hezbollah in September 2024.
Just under 2,000 people have lost their lives, 6,300 have been injured, and many more have been forced to leave their homes – in the first two weeks since the attack alone. This also includes several of DCA’s staff whose homes are in the Southern part of the country which is most severely affected.
DCA has converted all activities to support for the many civilians who find themselves sleeping in the open, in schools, or other spaces made available to them – to ensure they have food, mattresses, blankets, and other basic necessities – and are safe.
Lebanon has been suffering from a pro-longed economical and financial crises, poor service delivery, and poverty levels that have tripled in the last decade reaching some 44% of the population in 2024. In addition Lebanon has been hosting the largest number of displaced people per capita and per square kilometer in the world. According to UNOCHA 9 out of 10 people needed assistance with basic needs – before Israel launched a full-scale attack.
The needs in Lebanon are expected to rise drastically as the fighting continues
Humanitarian situation
- The fatality toll continues to rise, with almost 2,000 people killed an more than 8,400 wounded in total since 8 October 2023. More than 1,000 people have been killed and 6,300 wounded between 16 and 27 September 2024 alone.
- Access to essential services is severely disrupted, damaging critical infrastructure. Since 23 September airstrikes have impacted 25 water establishments affecting access to clean water for nearly 300,000 people.
- National authorities estimate that over one million people have been displaced – many of them have been displaced multiple times since October 2023. Some 70,000 people are also estimated to have crossed into Syria from Lebanon, as of 29 September.
- By 30 September 2024 the Lebanese government had opened around 41 shelters, 3 in Beirut, 18 in Mount Lebanon, 10 in Saida and Jezzine, 7 in Bekaa, 2 in Baalbeck, and 1 in Tripoli. It is expected that more shelters will be opened.
- Almost half the population (44%) was already below the poverty line in 2024, many suffering from food insecurity. This crisis is affecting Lebanese citizens along with the hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees who live in areas under attack and already vulnerable.
- Before the September escalation – on 8 August – 72% of farmers reported loss of income and 1,700 hectares of land have been damaged. This is likely to increase – and further compound – food insecurity.
- Hospitals were operating with only basic necessities even before this crisis and do not have the resources to cope with a large-scale crisis.
- The situation is compounding the pre-existing, multi-layered crises Lebanon has been dealing with—from economic collapse to deteriorating infrastructure. Now, with the country in turmoil, the need for coordinated and immediate humanitarian action is greater than ever.
- DCA staff in Lebanon are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with other entities responding on the ground.
About DCA Lebanon
DCA has been supporting Lebanese, Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian Refugees form Syria and other refugees since 2007. DCA partners with local and national authorities, stakeholders, and national civil society organisations to implement humanitarian and development sectoral programming, including WASH and GBV integrated interventions, support to community-led crisis response mechanisms (SCLR/Group Cash Transfer), MPCA, and food security and livelihoods.
DCA has been responding to humanitarian needs in Lebanon through its Humanitarian Mine Action activities and has cleared over eight square kilometres of landmine-contaminated commercial and agricultural land in Mt Lebanon and along the Blue Line.