Since late February, Israel has intensified bombardments across Lebanon following retaliatory attacks triggered by a U.S. assault on Iran, causing a significant escalation in violence throughout the Middle East. In response, Israel has ordered evacuations in southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. Health facilities are under severe pressure, facing power outages, shortages of supplies, and overworked staff, while ambulance routes are frequently blocked by debris and damaged roads, delaying critical medical assistance. Even before this latest crisis, nearly 874,000 people in Lebanon were food insecure, a number now expected to rise as ongoing hostilities disrupt deliveries of food, medical supplies, and other essentials.
The displacement crisis is extensive, with nearly 830,000 people uprooted, including around 200,000 children, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs and United Nations reports. Evacuation orders have pushed families from southern Lebanon and areas around Beirut to the northern regions, many arriving with nothing and sleeping outdoors. Schools and public buildings converted into shelters are overcrowded, often hosting far more people than capacity allows, with minimal electricity, water shortages, poor sanitation, and unsafe conditions, particularly for women and girls. Aid workers report that even shelters intended for 75 families now house 120, with many others forced to spend nights on the roadside.
Lebanon’s current humanitarian emergency compounds existing challenges from years of crises, including the 2020 Beirut port explosion, political instability, economic collapse, and the 2023 Gaza-related bombardments that already caused mass displacement and strained infrastructure. The rapidly deteriorating situation has left displaced populations in urgent need of food, drinking water, hygiene supplies, blankets, mattresses, medical aid, and fuel for generators.
Islamic Relief is actively providing assistance, distributing over 1,800 food parcels, 532 hygiene kits, and more than 5,500 gallons of water since the onset of the crisis. The organization is expanding efforts to supply mother-and-baby kits, blankets, mattresses, kitchen sets, bottled water, medical supplies, and food vouchers, alongside improving shelter facilities with water provision, latrines, and medical consultations.
Alongside delivering humanitarian aid, Islamic Relief is urging an immediate de-escalation across the Middle East. The organization emphasizes the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure under international law and calls for safe, unhindered access to humanitarian assistance for all displaced populations.
