Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- WFP is closely monitoring population movements following the ceasefire, swiftly adapting its assistance to meet the urgent needs of displaced individuals and returnees. Since 23 September, WFP reached 497,900 people with cash and food assistance in addition to its regular programmes. This brings the total number of people assisted by WFP in November to more than 2.1 million, across both regular and emergency programmes.
- This week, WFP conducted three joint interagency convoys to Aarsal in North Lebanon, as well as Saida and Nabatiyeh in South Lebanon, delivering critical food and non-food assistance to heavily impacted areas.
- A tripartite agreement was signed between WFP, the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs, and UNICEF to register 1.2 million IDPs in a national registry for potential assistance.
SITUATION UPDATE
- Nine days into the ceasefire, the situation in the country remains fragile, with multiple violations through ongoing military activities recorded in the first week alone.
- Of the 1.6 million people displaced by the conflict, 201,800 remain internally displaced. IOM estimates that 786,500 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have begun returning to their communities, though these observed returns cannot be considered permanent, as many people remain on the move.
- As of 5 December, only 8,700 people remain in shelters, representing a 96 percent reduction since pre- ceasefire levels.
- Reverse cross-border movements between Syria and Lebanon have also accelerated following the simultaneous announcement of the ceasefire in Lebanon and rapid escalation of hostilities in Syria. UNHCR estimates that 34,000 Lebanese nationals have returned to Lebanon, while the exact number of newly arriving Syrian refugees is yet to be confirmed.
- The two main border crossings, Arida and Josiah, connecting Lebanon and Syria, have been targeted by airstrikes this week and are temporarily closed.
- Schools have started reopening, with those previously used as shelters currently undergoing infrastructure assessments and needed repairs before they can be used again for education.
- Lebanon’s food insecurity is set to worsen, further straining infrastructure, displacing communities, and deepening the effects of the economic crisis. As per the World Bank, Lebanon’s real GDP growth for 2024 is projected to decline by 6.6 percent, further deepening an economic contraction of over 34 percent in the past five years, equivalent to losing 15 years of growth.