What is happening in Lebanon?

More than 1.4 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, and have been struggling to find enough food, water, shelter, and medicine.

• A 60-day ceasefire began on November 27th, 2024. This will allow some of the people displaced by the war to start returning to their homes. However, hundreds of thousands of people may find that their homes have been destroyed.
  
  
• More than 205,000 Lebanese people have been forced to flee into neighboring Syria. More than 385,000 Syrian refugees have been forced back to Syria despite great dangers.
  
  
• Save the Children estimates now that more than two million children, both Lebanese and refugees, need aid.

Lebanon has faced crisis after crisis in recent years, including a refugee crisis from the Syrian civil war, the Beirut port blast in 2020, a cholera outbreak, and an economic crisis that has resulted in skyrocketing poverty and the collapse of essential public services. It can’t afford to bear the weight of this added disaster on its own.

Here’s what’s happening, and what you can do to help.

What is the conflict in Lebanon about?

Since October 8th, 2023, Lebanese and Palestinian armed groups had exchanged cross-border fire with Israel, resulting in the displacement of people on both sides of the border.

These exchanges significantly escalated thereafter, with Israel conducting unprecedented attacks via pagers and walkie talkies before executing a series of aerial offensives that caused the deadliest day in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.

To date, over 3,500 individuals have been killed, including more than 200 children. Strikes have also targeted ambulances, healthcare workers, and water facilities. In addition to humanitarian groups suspending operations in key areas across the country, this has significantly hindered urgent humanitarian interventions to affected communities, including the displaced.

What is the humanitarian situation in Lebanon right now?

Since the escalation of the conflict, Oxfam has been working with Lebanese organizations to meet crucial needs of displaced people.

Following the announcement of a 60-day provisional ceasefire, many will decide to move back to their homes. As many homes and communities have been damaged, these needs are likely to continue, and include:

• Food, clean water, medicine, and shelter are urgently needed, especially as we approach the winter months.
  
  
• Other needs include mattresses, bedding kits, and hygiene items.
  
  
• Items such as functioning toilets are so far provided on an ad-hoc, day-to-day basis, without long-term planning.
  
  
• Many civilians need protection from harm and support relocating to safer areas with temporary housing.
  
  
• Mental health support for affected individuals and communities.

Too many households remain stranded without safe shelter and housing due to the steep rate of displacement. Access to food, water and sanitation support, and other services has considerably decreased for low-income displaced households who remain in urgent need of assistance.

Syrian refugees as well as migrants and migrant workers were being excluded from many shelters and emergency support. These displaced people have already been facing the ramifications of Lebanon’s economic crisis and recurrent Israeli strikes, with limited access to basic needs.

What is Oxfam doing to help the people of Lebanon?

Together with people like you, we’re supporting people with emergency cash, food, clean water, sanitation services, and hygiene and menstrual kits. With our partners we have distributed lifesaving assistance to more than 28,575 people since September. We are trying to reach around 250,000 people with lifesaving assistance by March 2025.

• Oxfam has been working with partners to truck in 10,000 gallons of water a day to 14 collective shelters.
  
  
• In collaboration with partner Nusaned in Mount Lebanon and Nabaa, Oxfam supported distribution of almost 5,000 hygiene and baby kits as well as winterization kits to people in need.
  
  
• Oxfam partners Utopia and Shift will also begin delivering informational sessions to nearly 1,000 displaced people on how to protect themselves during conflict-specific emergencies, including protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
  

Oxfam has worked with partners and local organizations in Lebanon since 1993. Today we work with 30 partner organizations in North Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut. We also work with Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon as well as Lebanese communities.

The partner organizations Oxfam works with in Lebanon deeply understand the needs of the communities they are part of. This includes work with people with disabilities and with people who are migrant workers.

What needs to happen now in Lebanon and the wider region?

• An immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza
  
  
• The protection of all civilians
  
  
• The U.S. must stop arming Israel immediately
  
  
• All breaches of international law, in all forms, must end
  
  
• Work towards de-escalation of hostilities and a lasting and just peace for all people in Gaza, Lebanon, and the wider region
  

The international community, including the U.S., must condemn this escalation and take bold action to help stop it now. They must use all means at their disposal to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire, as this is the only way to stop the death and destruction in Lebanon, Gaza, Israel and across the wider region, and stop any further escalation of violence.

Israel continues to act with impunity. It must be held to account for its actions in both Lebanon and Gaza. All parties must abide by international humanitarian law and be held to account where potential violations have occurred.

Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to fuel the crisis by allowing the sale of arms to Israel. If the U.S. is serious about wanting to stop the crisis in Lebanon and Gaza, it must do more and stop arming Israel immediately.

This further escalation in violence in Lebanon underscores the urgent need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

What you can do to help Lebanon

• Donate to our Lebanon Appeal.
• Join our call for a ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon, and the wider region.