Since October 2023, airstrikes and cross-border conflict in Lebanon have resulted in the internal displacement of nearly 100,000 people, the destruction of critical infrastructure, and continued interruptions to humanitarian efforts of organisations like ours responding to the emergency.
Since the increased exchanges of fire along the border, Action Against Hunger swiftly mobilised its teams to respond to the emergency. The charity has been distributing cash aid, blankets, mattresses, hot meals, hygiene and sanitation items, care kits for babies and the elderly, and providing nutritional support.
“Since 8 October, Action Against Hunger has provided emergency humanitarian aid in 160 areas, including border regions and shelters for displaced people. However, the recent escalation of violence, including this week’s devastating airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, has forced us to pause some activities in the south of the country,” said Suzanne Takkenberg, Action Against Hunger’s Lebanon Country Director.
“The violence is taking an intolerable toll on civilian lives. We urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law, ensuring the protection of civilians and humanitarian organisations like ours.”
How is the conflict affecting the Lebanese population
From mid-October to the end of July, displacement in Lebanon surged by 1500 per cent. Of the nearly 100,000 displaced, around 30,000 are children, according to UNICEF.
The destruction of essential civilian infrastructure—such as roads, telecommunications, health, education, electricity, and water supply facilities—has severe implications for people’s lives and may constitute a violation of international humanitarian law.
For example, damage to 13 water supply facilities in southern Lebanon villages significantly increases the risk of over 200,000 people lacking access to safe drinking water or suffering from waterborne diseases.
“We are already seeing thousands of people injured, with many suffering from food and water shortages, or losing their livelihoods due to white phosphorus contamination in the fields. People have lost their saves and their homes. During my time in the south, I saw the severe impact on families’ mental health: they are stressed and traumatised. I witnessed children crying inconsolably, despite their parents’ reassurances that everything would be fine,” reported an Action Against Hunger worker in Lebanon.
Action Against Hunger’s response
Action Against Hunger, present in Lebanon since 2006, has been addressing the needs of families without shelter, providing essential items like mattresses, blankets, and pillows in temporary shelters.
The organisation has also supported the installation and improvement of sanitation and hygiene facilities for the growing population in these shelters. Additionally, they have aided families who have remained in their homes despite damage to their buildings and surroundings.
Over these months, our teams have delivered more than 456,000 litres of drinking water and around 95,500 hot meals, among other critical activities.
Effects of conflict on hunger in Lebanon
The conflict severely impacts agriculture and livestock, with the destruction of 340,000 farm animals, 47,000 olive trees, and 790 hectares of agricultural land, resulting in 70 per cent losses for farmers and reduced food availability. Commodity prices are rising, making access to food difficult for hundreds of thousands already struggling due to the conflict.
Furthermore, the use of white phosphorus munitions and explosives threatens civilian lives and land fertility, exacerbating the agricultural dependency and severe economic crisis. Lebanon was already facing one of the world’s largest displacement crises, hosting 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
The Mlayje family, displaced by the conflict
Fatima, 35, fled Naqoura, Lebanon, with her family when war broke out with Israel in October. Believing the crisis would be short-lived, they left quickly, abandoning their belongings.
They rented a house until their savings ran out and now live in a classroom converted into a collective shelter in Tyre. With little money, they typically eat one meal a day, thanks to rations from a local association. Their three-year-old daughter Acil is unwell, and they cannot afford medicine. Every day, they dream of returning home.
Action Against Hunger teams have supported the Mlayje family by conducting mid-upper arm circumference screenings to check for malnutrition, providing high-calorie and vitamin-fortified emergency food, and offering health and nutrition awareness sessions focused on food diversity and hygiene.