Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- Hostilities on the Lebanon-Israel border escalated sharply in September 2024, leading to the deadliest period of the conflict with more than 1,600 deaths, including 104 children, 194 women and two UN staff, and over 8,408 injured.
- The escalation has led to mass displacement. On 29 September 2024, Lebanon’s Prime Minister announced that collective shelters were being set up to accommodate one million Internally Displaced People (IDPs). More than 246,000 IDPs, including 121,000 children, were counted by 30 September 2024, according to IOM. More than 100,000 Lebanese and Syrians have fled Lebanon for Syria according to UNHCR.
- The catastrophic escalation in hostilities comes against a backdrop of a multi-layered governance, economic and financial crisis. Lebanon continues to host 1.5 million Syrian refugees, 23,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria, and 180,000 Palestinian refugees.
- UNICEF is appealing for US$ 105.3 million to deliver a large-scale emergency response that prioritizes WASH, Child Protection and Cash, alongside education and health.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
The escalation since 16 September 2024 has led to a surge in mass displacement across Lebanon. Lebanon’s Prime Minister announced that collective shelters were being set up to accommodate up to one million IDPs. More than 346,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), including 121,000 children, were counted by September 2024, according to IOM (DTM round 48). More than 100,000 Lebanese and Syrians fled Lebanon for Syria according to UNHCR.
Lebanese authorities have opened more than 800 collective shelters, which were hosting over 140,000 IDPs by September 2024, according to the Disaster Risk Management Unit.
The majority of shelters is located in public schools, and educational institutions across the country are closed for learning, following the postponement of the new school year and temporary suspension of classes by the Ministry of Education. Damage to public infrastructure has been reported, including more than 25 water facilities damaged since October 2023, affecting the water supply for over 360,000 people. Nearly 30 Primary Health Care Centres (PHCCs) were closed by September 2024 due to security risks.
On 28 September 2024, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon activated the Humanitarian Country Team’s (HCT) planning scenario of an uncontrolled conflict affecting 1 million people.
The escalation has further compounded the economic and financial crisis that pushed 44 per cent of the population in Lebanon into poverty, according to the World Bank. Updates on the humanitarian situation in Lebanon are available on UNICEF’s reports accessible here.
The psychological toll on all displaced people, and especially women and children, is profound. Many have been displaced multiple times, compounding trauma from exposure to violence and the stress of living in overcrowded and unsafe conditions. UNICEF has been providing psychosocial support to women and children, focusing on resilience-building and trauma recovery, as well as Dignity Kits, lifesaving GBV services, and violence prevention initiatives since the start of hostilities in October 2024. UNICEF's overall support package seeks to create a safer environment for women and girls in a very challenging and dangerous environment.