Lebanon: Flash Update #52 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 26 December 2024

This report is produced by OCHA Lebanon in collaboration with humanitarian partners and the Inter Sector Coordination Group. It covers the period from 20 - 26 December 2024.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 819,693 people displaced within Lebanon reported back in their cadasters of origin as of 25 December (IOM).
• 160,900 people remain displaced outside their cadasters of origin, a three per cent decrease since 19 December (IOM).
• National and local authorities estimate some 90,000 people entered Lebanon from Syria as of 24 December (UNHCR).

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Lebanon’s humanitarian situation remains critical, with hundreds of thousands of conflict-affected people in significant need and facing ongoing challenges that demand immediate and medium- to long-term support. Displacement and return in Lebanon continues to evolve, with thousands of households navigating complex challenges as they seek stability in the aftermath of the conflict and amid ongoing violations of the cessation of hostilities.

Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) Tom Fletcher visited Lebanon on 21 December as part of a regional visit that encompassed Syria, Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. While in Lebanon, the ERC travelled to Tebnine in southern Lebanon – a town severely impacted by the conflict, as well as Shatila Palestinian camp and the Lebanon-Syria border at Masnaa (Bekaa governorate). In Tebnine, he met with local humanitarian workers and medical staff at Tebnine Government Hospital, who continued to serve their community in one of the few hospitals in Nabatieh governorate to continue functioning throughout the conflict. In Shatilahe witnessed first-hand the challenges facing Palestinian refugees and the critical role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in providing them with essential support. Throughout his visit, the ERC listened to crisis-affected people themselves sharing their hopes for a permanent end to hostilities, and for urgent shelter, essential services, and comprehensive humanitarian and recovery support.

Meeting with Government officials, including the caretaker Prime Minister and members of the Government Emergency Committee (GEC) headed by the Minister of Environment, and with humanitarian partners, ERC Fletcher emphasized the need to sustain humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected Lebanese, to rise jointly to the challenge of recovery and reconstruction, which required sustained Government leadership and commitment to transparency and accountability, and to ensure that, while supporting the Syrian people to mount a new, inclusive government and start their own recovery after more than a decade of civil war, the Lebanese State and people give the Syrians who have sought refuge in their country the time needed to ensure a secure and voluntary return. The ERC committed to working with the Government of Lebanon and humanitarian partners at global level to mobilize humanitarian, stabilization and development financing to support Lebanon.

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) indicates that, as of 25 December, approximately 819,693 people displaced within Lebanon had returned to the cadasters from which they were initially displaced, with the largest proportion of returnees in Nabatieh district, Nabatieh governorate, with 244,797 individuals (30 per cent), followed by 147,458 in Sour district, South governorate (18 per cent), and 138,948 in Baalbek district, Baalbek-El Hermel governorate (17 per cent). The one per cent decrease in the number of people reported as back in their cadasters of origin since the last report on 19 December (Round 68) can be attributed to several factors, including better understanding of the context and figures among key informants, better enumeration capacity to capture returning people, as well as continuous review of reports from key informants. While the DTM methodology relies on key informant estimates, which, in a rapidly changing context, may not always reflect exact figures, the estimates offer a reliable indication of population movement trends.

Meanwhile, 160,900 people remain displaced outside their cadasters of origin, 3 per cent less than the last report on 19 December. Among them, 4,485 displaced people (approximately 3 per cent of the total displaced population) are staying in 45 collective shelters.

Over 60 villages in southern Lebanon continue to be included in areas to which the population is warned not to return by the Israeli Army. On 26 December, an incursion by the Israeli Army in Wadi al-Hujair reportedly led to the temporary displacement of several households to nearby villages of Al-Ghandorieh and Sarifa. These restrictions and incidents exacerbate already-challenging conditions for people trying to return to their home areas. Lack of free and safe movement both prevents returns and deepens the hardships faced by those who remain in affected locations as access to essential services, livelihoods, and support networks remains severely constrained. Continued efforts to promote the protection of civilians and unimpeded humanitarian access, as well as the safe and dignified return of displaced people to their communities, are required.

Cross-border movements continued during the reporting period. According to UNHCR, national authorities in Lebanon estimate that as of 20 December, around 90,000 people have arrived in the Hermel area of Baalbek-El Hermel governorate, including approximately 20,000 Lebanese nationals. Of these, 39,321 people – mostly Syrians – are living in some 175 collective shelters. Ongoing needs assessments and response efforts, including distribution of emergency relief items, are taking place at these sites. Over the past week, traffic at the Masna official border crossing in Bekaa Governorate has stabilized, with a steady flow of arrivals and departures. The number of people unable to meet entry requirements and thus unable to enter Lebanon from Syria has decreased compared to the previous week. Currently, between 100 and 300 people are to be found in no-man's land daily, with many people returning to Syria through the official crossing point.