Influx from Lebanon into Syria - Situation Report #4, 15 November 2024

Region: Arab States
Emergency type: Conflict
Start Date of Crisis: Sep 24, 2024
Date Issued: Nov 15, 2024
Covering Period: Oct 29, 2024 to Nov 11, 2024

Key Figures

• 473,000 (1) total people affected
• 118,250 (2) women of reproductive age
• 7,170 estimated pregnant women
• 800 live births in the next month
• 42,500 (3) people targeted with SRH services
• 46,500 people targeted with GBV programmes

Highlights

• The ongoing conflict in the region has triggered a mass exodus of people seeking safety in Syria. Over 473,000 individuals (71% Syrian nationals and 29% Lebanese nationals) are estimated to have crossed the borders into Syria from Lebanon since the escalation of hostilities seven weeks ago – 25% are women of reproductive age (aged 15 to 49 years).
• Nearly half of Syrian families returning to Lebanon are female-headed, who are facing severe challenges to ensure the well-being of their families and to access essential health services, safe shelter, nutritious food, non-food items, and legal support to navigate complex administrative procedures. Female headed households are also struggling to secure any means of earning a living. Some families are forced to send adolescents in search of work.
• UNFPA is expanding access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and protection services to women and girls affected by the crisis through 147 service points, including health facilities, women and girls’ safe spaces (WGSS), community well-being centers, and integrated SRH/gender-based violence (GBV) mobile teams. Services include maternal health care, family planning, GBV prevention, response and risk mitigation services, including specialized services, and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).
• UNFPA continues to distribute dignity kits containing essential hygiene items, including sanitary pads, to displaced women and girls in need.
• Protection risks have increased for women and girls forced to flee, particularly those who are struggling to find a safe place to stay and to meet the basic needs of their families. To respond to the growing demand for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), as reported by frontline service providers/partners, UNFPA is finalizing the recruitment and deployment of a MHPSS surge staff, and continues to coordinate with MHPSS working groups and other stakeholders to ensure accessible and multisectoral referral services for GBV for those in need.
• As winter approaches, UNFPA is exploring the local procurement of winterized kits to address women and girls’ immediate needs.

Situation Overview

• The healthcare system in Syria has already been significantly weakened by over a decade of war, exacerbated by dire shortages of medical supplies and skilled personnel. The influx of new arrivals is placing an additional strain on the health care system and there is an urgent need for reproductive health and hygiene supplies and additional skilled human resources, including for maternal health care, emergency obstetric care and family planning.
• A total of 22 hosting centers in Lattakia (9), Tartous (4), Rural Damascus (1), Homs (5) and Hama (3) are accommodating people arriving from Lebanon. Women have reported that they lack privacy and access to basic services in centers, and as temperatures drop, winterized assistance is urgently needed. In Raqqa city and Darra, up to 40 people are living in one house, with some families living in unsafe buildings. UNFPA and partners are advocating with local authorities to ensure centers are safe and women-friendly and that women and girls in centres and host communities have access to health and protection services.
• In the North-East of Syria (NES), there is a limited number of maternity hospitals and clinics in both Al Hasakah and Deir Ez-Zor with the capacity to provide emergency obstetric care, including cesarean sections. There is an urgent need for additional healthcare facilities providing reproductive and maternal health services, along with trained human resources and supplies, to meet the needs of people arriving from Lebanon and host communities. A total of 9,705 households (54,426 individuals) have arrived in Deir-ez-Zor governorate.
• Arrivals in Aleppo continue to surge. As of 7 November 2024, 8,620 households (40,450 individuals) had arrived in the governorate. No centers have been opened, as the majority of arrivals are being hosted by communities or have returned to their homes, resulting in secondary displacements in some cases.
• An assessment in host communities in Aleppo highlighted that women and girls are at increased risk of GBV. Most reported needs include access to health services, including maternal health and PSS, winter clothes, and legal support, especially for documentation. UNFPA partners have registered more than 1,400 pregnant and breastfeeding women, nearly 4,350 female-headed households and approximately 230 persons with disabilities in Aleppo. UNFPA is providing reproductive health and protection services, updating GBV referral pathways, distributing hygiene items and providing cash and voucher assistance.

1. UNHCR Syria Short Brief: Response to Displacement from Lebanon to Syria (24 September - 2 November 2024).
2. MISP calculations based on 473,000 total people affected.
3. The UN Inter-Agency Flash Appeal for Syria estimates that up to 480,000 people will be displaced and/or affected by the conflict in Lebanon. This situation report targets those in need based on current numbers affected with the aim to scale-up if the number of affected people increase.