Attachments
Highlights
- A ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel came into effect on 27 November 2024. Prior to the ceasefire implementation, high-intensity airstrikes were carried out across Lebanon, including at border crossing points and in densely populated areas in Beirut.
- The agreement has led to a mass movement of people returning home to areas where infrastructure was damaged during the conflict and is potentially contaminated with unexploded ordnance. Initial reports indicate an 80 per cent reduction in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in shelters by 28 November 2024.
- UNICEF has already distributed more than 136,000 Explosive Ordnance Risk Education information materials to displaced persons and an additional 300,000 are being distributed in cooperation with national authorities.
- During the reporting period, UNICEF supported 695 collective shelters hosting 121,602 IDPs including 341 shelters with an integrated package of child-centred services, such as clean water, sanitation, healthcare, nutrition, and psychosocial support.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
A ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel was announced on 26 November 2024, coming into effect at 04:00 AM on 27 November 2024. In the hours preceding the ceasefire implementation, an intensification of airstrikes was carried out across Lebanon, including at border crossing points and in densely populated areas in central Beirut.
The conflict was the deadliest period Lebanon has experienced in decades, with an average of more than three children killed every day over the past two months. As of 27 November 2024, 3,961 persons were reported killed, including 248 children and 736 women, as well as 16,520 injured, including 1,436 children and 2,827 women.
Following the ceasefire announcement, thousands of displaced persons began returning to their homes in southern and eastern Lebanon, where villages were severely damaged during the conflict and are potentially contaminated with unexploded ordinances of war. Initial reports from national authorities show an 80 percent reduction in the number of IDPs in collective shelters, dropping from nearly 190,000 on 26 November to 40,700 on 28 November 2024. The Word Bank reported that around 100,000 housing units have been partially or fully damaged. Displaced families with damaged properties and those from areas yet to be demilitarised may need to stay in shelters for a longer period.
Prior to the ceasefire, more than 620,000 people had left Lebanon for Syria since 23 September 2024, including 234,242 Lebanese and 390,656 Syrians, according to the Lebanese General Security Directorate. Additionally, 33,138 Lebanese were reported to have arrived in Iraq. Humanitarian actors have reported movement flows from Syria to Lebanon, mainly of Lebanese nationals returning after the ceasefire – official return rates are not yet available.
The conflict caused a significant impact on civilian infrastructure and public services, including 40 hospitals left with disrupted operations, 98 Primary Health Centres and dispensaries closed, and 36 water facilities damaged, affecting the water supply for over 390,000 people. The new school year in public schools’ shifts serving Lebanese children restarted on 4 November 2024, with more than 886 public schools open for in-person or online learning by 28 November 2024. The registration for shifts serving non-Lebanese students opened on 25 November 2024 – see more on Education on page four.