A ferocious escalation in conflict in the last month has led to a largescale humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Trócaire is supporting partner agencies throughout the country to respond as rapidly and comprehensively as possible to the increasing needs.

In the last month, a dramatic escalation of conflict in southern Lebanon and Beirut Suburbs has triggered an explosion of death, suffering and displacement throughout the small nation.

Intensifying airstrikes from the Israeli military have displaced over 1 million people, mostly internally in Lebanon, though approximately 300,000 are thought to have already left the country. Although Ireland and Lebanon have roughly the same size of population, Ireland is seven times larger in land mass. Already, Lebanon was home to one of the largest refugee populations in the world, with an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees living there as a result of the long war in Syria, while over 200,000 Palestinian refugees have also fled to Lebanon.

As the tragedy has unfolded in the last month, hundreds of thousands of people – Syrian and Lebanese – have now fled into Syria, a situation that the head of the UN’s refugee agency described as one of “tragic absurdity”. Syria is far from being considered a safe country.

When a large explosion rocked the port of Beirut in 2020, it added to the existing and prolonged humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. In the last four weeks, Beirut and large areas of southern Lebanon have been subjected to thousands of airstrikes. More than 2,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured.

An urgent response, led locally

Trócaire believes in supporting locally-led responses to humanitarian crises.

In Lebanon, where we have supported local agencies since 2012, Trócaire is supporting local partners to provide emergency assistance – food and hygiene kits, clothes and bedding materials; as well as protection and psychosocial services including group counselling sessions and recreational activities for children.

Our response is prioritising vulnerable populations, particularly women, girls, people with specific needs, elderly or excluded groups.

Although Lebanon has a very hight capacity and experienced humanitarian response network, the scale of need and the pace of this crisis is unrelenting.

Our partners strive to provide critical support to displaced populations of all nationalities, including refugees and migrants, across the country with a specific focus in southern Lebanon, Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, the areas most affected by the current conflict. This is in addition to the ongoing programmes that our partners are striving to continue, wherever possible.

With support from Irish Aid, the Start fund and the Irish public, Trócaire has been able to reach over 30,100 people so far. Although Lebanon has an experienced, high- capacity network of humanitarian responders, the scale and speed of this crisis has put a tremendous strain on the entire country.

Spotlight on our Partners and Areas of Intervention:

  • Nabad: Emergency response, cash assistance, food parcels, and shelter support in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley.
  • Caritas Lebanon: Shelter, health care services, psychosocial support, emergency cash assistance, food and non-food item distribution for displaced populations across Lebanon.
  • Women Now: Psychosocial support and protection services with a focus on women and girls, GBV case management, distribution of hygiene kits and community-based resilience in Bekaa.
  • RDFL (The Democratic Lebanese Women’s Gathering): Gender-based violence prevention and response, protection cash assistance supporting vulnerable women and children in Bekaa and Beirut Mount Lebanon (BML).
  • Nabaa (Development Actions without borders): Supports emergency response through the provision of non-food items and cash assistance vulnerable groups and IDPs.
  • Sheild: Supports emergency response through the provision of hygiene and bedding kits vulnerable groups and IDPs as well as water and ready to eat meals during the current response.
  • LUPD: protection, outreach and emergency cash assistance to people with disabilities and their households. Advocacy on inclusion of people with disabilities in emergency response as well as specialised service providers in Beqaa and Beirut/Mount Lebanon.
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