Despite the ceasefire agreement in November 2024, military activity remains intense in southern parts of Lebanon, in Bekaa and Beirut’s southern suburbs. The civilian population remains at high risk, and recent attacks have targeted populated areas, further endangering lives and livelihoods.
Some 90,000 people remain internally displaced, according to the International Organisation for Migration. More than 900,000 people have returned to their communities, and among them, many are unable to access their homes because they are uninhabitable. In other cases, people are at significant risk due to the continued violations of the ceasefire or presence of unexploded ordnances. These families are forced to live in borrowed flats or rent temporary housing.
Displaced families face difficulties accessing essential services, including clean water, sanitation, and healthcare.
Suzanne Takkenberg, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Lebanon, said:
“One of the last air strikes was on 8 May. On that day, there were more than 19 attacks in the space of an hour in southern Lebanon, close to our distribution points, forcing us to temporarily halt our activities.
“Displacement, extraordinary increases in the cost of living, interruptions in food supply, loss of livelihoods and damage to water and sanitation infrastructure are some of the barriers that prevent civilians from meeting their most basic needs.”
Ali, whose name has been changed, was forced to move during the escalation of the conflict in September 2024 and has not had constant and secure access to food and clean water. Ali’s house in Dahiye – Beirut’s southern suburbs – was destroyed by the attacks. Like hundreds of others, Ali arrived at Bir Hassan School in southern Beirut, seeking a place to stay, where he is still alone eight months later.
The border area was one of the areas most severely affected during the escalation of the conflict in October 2023.
Mahmoud, an internally displaced person from Odaisseh on the border with Israel, said:
“There is no life. There are no plants. There is nothing left. We didn’t expect the conflict to last so long, so we didn’t bring many things with us.
“If humanitarian organisations stopped working here, it would be like leaving us at our mercy in a desert.”
Mahmoud has been living with his family for over a year and a half in what was once the Montana Hotel in Marwanieh in the south of the country, where 94 families still live today. Mahmoud and his family tried to return to Odaisseh once, but when they saw the level of destruction, they decided to return to the Montana Hotel.
According to the latest UN report on food security in Lebanon, nearly 1.2 million people, including Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian migrants, suffer from high levels of acute food insecurity despite the ceasefire. The situation is primarily due to the prolonged impact of the conflict, ongoing forced population displacement, and the deep economic crisis of recent years.
The livelihoods of families, particularly those who rely on agriculture for their living, have also been severely affected. According to the World Bank, damage to the agricultural sector is estimated at a minimum of $11 billion since the onset of the conflict in October 2023. Farmers in the south and the Bekaa area have had to abandon their land, although some have been able to return.
This is the case of Jaafar, a farmer in Beit Lif, 5 kilometres from the predominantly agricultural border with Israel. Around 7,000 people used to reside in Beit Lif. Now, due to the conflict, only about 125 remain. Jaafar said, “Because of the drones, everyone is afraid. All the land and all the fields are destroyed in this area in the south. The trees have either been uprooted or damaged.”
Suzanne Takkenberg, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Lebanon, said:
“Many families are struggling to afford essential food items, highlighting widespread food insecurity. Urgent needs include finding emergency shelter, access to clean water, hygiene kits and sanitation facilities.
“Damage to water and sanitation infrastructures will make it very difficult for families to return home permanently, while the risk of waterborne diseases remains high. The efforts of humanitarian organisations are crucial to protect the well-being and dignity of those affected.”
Action Against Hunger has been working for months in the collective shelter where Ali lives to ensure that there is clean water, hygiene products and other essential items to maintain health and prevent disease outbreaks, as well as access to food.
Action Against Hunger is actively responding in Beirut, the Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel, Nabatiyeh, and southern governorates, delivering essential aid. Some of the activities include distributing blankets, mattresses, pillows, water bottles, nutritional supplements, and providing health services, as well as rehabilitating agricultural lands and water points, and supporting families with cash assistance, helping both displaced and returning families.