Attachments
Highlights
- An estimated 283,000 people are displaced into Syria from Lebanon since 23 September 2024 following an escalation of hostilities in Lebanon.
- Around 30 per cent of those crossing the border are Lebanese, and approximately 58 per cent of the population crossing the border are children.
- New arrivals remained comparatively low at all the border crossing points as compared to the previous week.
- With UNICEF’s support, a total of 2,224 children (1,112 girls and 1,112 boys) were vaccinated, and 6,265 children (3,209 girls, 3,056 boys) and 1,346 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) received nutrition services (4,186 Syrians, 3,425 Lebanese).
- UNICEF, through its partners, continued to provide WASH services at the crossing points. Approximately 56,570 people were provided with access to safe and clean water, while 5,000 women and 5,000 children received hygiene support.
- UNICEF requires US$66.1 million to continue its response to fulfil the most immediate needs of the displaced population.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
Since 23 September 2024, escalating hostilities in Lebanon have displaced an estimated 283,000 people into Syria, approximately 58 per cent of whom are children. The number of registered unaccompanied and separated children reported by UNICEF’s partner the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) stands at 247 cases.
Around 200,000 people have entered Syria through the Jdaidet Yabous crossing point in Rural Damascus. However, the rate of arrivals remained comparatively slow at all border crossing points compared to the previous weeks. Over the past week, the influx of arrivals has slowed, although a slight surge was observed at four official Syrian crossing points, namely Al Arida, Joussieh, Daboussieh and Jesr Al Qmar, accounting for approximately 30 per cent of the total border crossings. Refer to Figure 1 in the PDF for further details. Around 30 per cent of the people crossing the border are Lebanese.
As of 11 October, 21,305 people have arrived to Northeast Syria (NES) since the start of the escalation. Currently, five formal crossline entry points have been identified for displaced people entering Syria from Lebanon in NES, including four in Raqqa Governorate and one in Aleppo Governorate.
According to UNRWA, 400 Palestinian refugee families (representing approximately 2,000 individuals) have been reported in various locations, including Damascus, and the central, north and south areas, since the beginning of the escalation.
The majority of Syrian and Lebanese families registered with SARC have relocated to Homs, Damascus, Rural Damascus, and Aleppo Governorates. In Rural Damascus Governorate, 274 Lebanese families are housed in the Herjaleh hosting centre, while over 14,000 Lebanese refugees in Sayyidah Zeinab are living in hotels or apartments with inadequate amenities. In Homs and Hama Governorates, several churches and schools serve as hosting centres for Lebanese families, with 1,200 additional families living in host communities. In Aleppo Governorate, 358 Lebanese refugee and 32,000 Syrian households are expected to cross into the city, although no hosting centres are available for Syrians. UNICEF’s partner on the ground reported that 1,900 households have crossed into Manbij city under the Kurdish Self-Administration, and over 1,000 people have entered Kurdish-administered areas in Aleppo city.
Most of displaced Syrians and Lebanese opt to stay with relatives and friends, highlighting the need to extend UNICEF’s support to host communities. UNICEF with its partners is following up on potential protection concerns and needs, at the border crossings, in hosting centres and in the host communities.