Lebanon is witnessing a previously unheard of humanitarian disaster with more than one million people having been displaced in a matter of days after the conflict with Israel intensified. The situation has swiftly worsened not only because of the current severe economic crisis but also due to the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut bomb which left over 300,000 people homeless.
Over 1.2 million people have been forcibly removed from their homes and placed in temporary shelters, schools, and even public areas in just the last 10 days alone. Due to the extent of the need for people to relocate, 867 facilities have been built with 643 already operating at full capacity. While thousands of people have left their communities in southern Lebanon, including the badly damaged areas of Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, Nabatieh, and Saida, many are migrating to neighboring Syria.
The Lebanese government has implemented several solutions including opening schools to house the displaced and temporarily halting education in the southern districts. Nevertheless, due to the severity of the situation, these steps are proving inadequate.
According to the Ministry of Health in Lebanon, since the violence started, 1,928 people have died and over 9,290 have been injured. $427 million in help is being sought in humanitarian appeals to cover necessities such as food, housing, and medical supplies. Jordan and Pakistan have responded with humanitarian supplies and financial support while France, Poland, and Russia have sent medical assistance.
For many, this disaster is a stark reminder of Lebanon’s painful history of war.
“Lebanon has endured war more than any other country, and we do not want more of it,” lamented Sara Ali, a mother of five who has sought refuge in Beirut.
Sitting on the ground outside a mosque, she struggles to hold back tears as she describes her ordeal.
“We were forced to leave our homes. I came to Beirut with my children to escape the shelling in the south, but here we find ourselves in a new struggle – there’s no food, no shelter, not even basic hygiene facilities,” she told DevelopmentAid.
For Sara’s daughter, who is just seven years old, school is no longer a certainty. Despite the hardships, the child continues to do her homework in the hope of returning to school in Nabatieh.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever go back, or if they’ll attend school in Beirut,” said Sara. “Everything is uncertain and terrifying.”
Sara’s story is not unique. Thousands of families face similar fates, uncertain if they will ever return to their homes. Hasan Youssef, who fled with his children from Tyre, recalled the fear and chaos as the bombs fell.
“We took what little we could carry and escaped to Beirut. We slept in an open square as we had nowhere else to go,” he told DevelopmentAid.
The city has changed overnight, Hasan noted, with shops closed, schools suspended, and prices skyrocketing.
“It feels like we’ve been at war for months. The humanitarian aid we’ve received so far is from individuals – not the state or civil society.”
Lebanon’s internal displacement crisis has also caused a healthcare emergency, with hospitals overwhelmed and medical supplies running low.
“I met a man in his forties who needed kidney dialysis, but we couldn’t find a hospital to take him to,” Hasan explained. “The Ministry of Health announced that medical treatment would be provided for free, but there are so many people waiting.”
Even as families like that of Um Zainab flee with only minutes to spare, many still live in fear of what lies ahead.
“We were given 30 minutes to leave,” she recounted. “I rushed out with my grandchildren as explosions echoed behind us. We had no time to think – just to survive. Now we’re crammed into a classroom with dozens of others, hoping for safety but uncertain of tomorrow.”
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, has stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire, highlighting the devastating toll on the civilian population. In a briefing organized by the American Task Force on Lebanon, Mikati highlighted the importance of halting the violence to prevent further bloodshed and destruction.
