Lebanon: Flash Update #39 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 28 October 2024

This report is produced by OCHA Lebanon in collaboration with humanitarian partners and the Inter Sector Coordination Group. It covers the period from 25 to 28 October 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 2,710 people killed and 12,592 injured since 8 October 2023. 157 children killed and 1,129 injured among total casualties reported (MoPH).

• 834,746 people internally displaced of which 52% female and 48% male (IOM).

• 189,298 people seeking refuge in 1,114 collective shelters (DRM).

• On 25 October, a humanitarian convoy reached Saida carrying ready-to-eat food parcels, hygiene kits, and solar lamps to support 2,500 households.

• UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator calls for protection of civilians, including journalists.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The crisis in Lebanon has escalated sharply, with ongoing hostilities resulting in severe casualties, extensive displacement, and a mounting humanitarian toll. Casualty reports by the Minister of Public Health (MoPH) indicate 2,672 deaths (75 per cent male, 19 percent female and 6 per cent children), and over 12,468 injuries (74 per cent male, 18 per cent female and 8 per cent children). Children are suffering the impacts of the conflict with 157 children killed and 1,129 injured since 8 October (MoPH).

Journalists are also facing severe risks, with three killed and three others injured in Hasbaya, Nabatieh Governorate, on 25 October. The Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon and the Special Coordinator for Lebanon issued statements calling for the protection of civilians, including journalists.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a sharp increase in the number of casualties among health sector workers, with 99 health workers killed and 82 injured since 8 October 2023. The Health sector has reported over 53 targeted attacks on health facilities and 27 incidents on ambulances, severely impacting healthcare services across affected regions. Among recent incidents, an airstrike on 27 October in Ain Baal, Sour District, resulted in the death of four paramedics according to national health authorities, further highlighting the critical risks faced by frontline medical responders.

The Israeli army continued to issue displacement orders for highly populated areas. In Tyre, residents have been subjected to multiple displacement orders from the Israeli army. The latest displacement order was issued on 28 October, marking the second order within five days in Tyre as airstrikes continue to intensify. Airstrikes within an hour of issuing displacement orders have reportedly destroyed several civilian buildings. Also in Tyre, an airstrike on 27 October targeted the vicinity of an UNRWA-run school in Burj al-Shemali, Tyre, resulting in the deaths of five people and causing damage to the school’s perimeter wall. The airstrike reportedly affected the area surrounding the school where displaced Palestine refugees are sheltering, underscoring the significant threat to civilians and civilian infrastructure amid the ongoing violence. On 29 October, Haret Saida, in Saida District, experienced its first Israeli airstrike since the onset of hostilities, resulting in at least eight people killed and 25 people injured, according to local sources. At least 60 people were killed and 58 injured in the deadliest airstrikes on Baalbek-Hermel and Bekaa on 28 October, conducted without prior displacement orders.