By Salsabila Nurhidajat
An IDF ground maneuver to southern Lebanon in September-October 2024 (Wikimedia Commons)
Over the past month, intensified Israeli military attacks on civilians in southern Lebanon and Beirut have resulted in a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis.
In just two weeks, over 1,000 civilians have been killed and more than 6,000 have been injured (IOM). More than a million people—around a fifth of Lebanon’s total population—have been displaced, leaving their homes, belongings, and communities behind. Over 1,000 families are now living in shelters across Lebanon, and more than 175,000 people have fled to neighboring Syria (Save The Children Fund).
This escalation exacerbates Lebanon’s existing social and economic crises. Lebanon already hosts the largest number of refugees per capita in the world, with an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees and 11,000 refugees from other nations living there (UNHCR). More than half of the Lebanese population lives below the poverty line, and many already need humanitarian assistance to survive (UNHCR). Because of the intensified conflict and displacement, most of Lebanon's 900 shelters are now at capacity, and they lack the resources necessary to properly house and aid people (Reuters).
As the conflict continues and further strain is placed on infrastructure, displaced people and refugees in Lebanon face increasingly limited access to food, healthcare, education, and other essential services (UNHCR).
At Lifting Hands International, we are committed to serving vulnerable communities most affected by conflict and will continue monitoring the humanitarian situation in Lebanon to effectively support our current partners in the region.
References:
IOM UN Migration, https://www.iom.int/lebanon-humanitarian-crisis
Save The Children Fund, https://www.savethechildren.net/news/lebanon-shelters-struggling-house-families-unprecedented-one-million-people-move-and-new