Lebanon, we help the population overwhelmed by war
A temporary ceasefire is currently in place in Lebanon, but indiscriminate attacks against the Lebanese population and civilian infrastructure have caused thousands of casualties and more than 1 million displaced people. Since the beginning of the war, INTERSOS has been providing urgent humanitarian assistance to those affected, including Syrian refugees, rehabilitating collective shelters, distributing basic necessities and providing psychological support.
Since October 2023, the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories has rapidly spread to other countries in the Middle East, in particular Lebanon. Exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah and other armed groups on the country’s southern border have been going on daily for months until the end of September, when Israeli airstrikes dramatically intensified in south and east Lebanon, spreading to other areas of the country previously unaffected by the violence and targeting densely populated areas. On 28 November, a fragile ceasefire agreement was reached in the country.
Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed over 3,000 people since 8 October 2023 and forced the displacement of around 1.3 million people, both within Lebanon and in neighbouring countries.
For months we have denounced violations of international humanitarian law by the Israeli armed forces in the country: indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas, inadequate evacuation notices and mass displacement orders for entire villages, which are insufficient, inadequate and almost impossible to comply with.
The attacks also targeted health facilities and personnel: according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Israeli attacks have killed at least 163 health and aid workers across Lebanon in the past year and damaged 158 ambulances and 55 hospitals. Some hospitals in the conflict zones have also suffered structural damage and several of these are partially or completely non-functional.
The conflict has also severely affected access to education, with at least 60 per cent of public schools used as shelters and nearly 400 schools closed due to insecurity or damages.
With the ceasefire in force, many displaced persons have returned to their areas of origin, but they still have to deal with the effects of the war: unexploded ordnance, unsafe buildings and movement restrictions imposed by the Israeli army on people returning to areas south of the Litani river.
On the other hand, the population still displaced needs adequate housing, food, water, access to health care and adequate sanitation, as well as fuel to power collective shelters and water points. The overcrowding that characterised the reception sites prior to the ceasefire and the lack of adequate space partitioning and dedicated sanitation facilities exposed displaced persons to the spread of disease and women and children to a high risk of being abused and sexually assaulted for a long time.
INTERSOS intervention
INTERSOS intervened from the first days of the crisis to support the population. As events unfolded at the end of September, our teams, including displaced staff, mobilised immediately. to assist the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing.
We immediately started working in a number of collective shelters in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, the Bekaa, the north and the south of the country to make them suitable for hosting displaced people and to distribute hygiene kits and basic necessities to people housed in collective shelters. To date, we have provided adequate shelter for around 2,000 people through the rehabilitation of collective shelters. We have also distributed hygiene kits to 4,700 people and non-food items to 4,400 people.
To support those affected by the war, we are also providing cash support to 11,800 to meet their most immediate needs and we have distributed mattresses and blankets in coordination with the Tripoli municipality to those left outside collective shelters.
We also provide psychological first aid and recreational activities for displaced children, currently over 350,000 according to UNICEF.
Finally, our legal team is providing consultations to Lebanese, Syrians and stateless persons who contact the hotlines and are distributing legal documents.
With the beginning of the ceasefire, our teams in the South and Baalbek are now able to reach areas that were too dangerous before. We’re fixing up our centres and offices that were damaged in the bombing and getting aid to people. The ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel is fragile, and the fighting could start again at any time, but our teams are working hard to help people who have returned home and those who are still displaced.
27.500
people assisted
11.800
People received emergency cash assistance
4.700
people received hygiene kits
4.400
People received non-food items