Lebanon Situation Report #2 - October 2024

Since 17 September 2024, intensified hostilities in Lebanon have triggered a surge in casualties and displacement, further straining the country after more than a year of violence stemming from the Israeli-Gaza conflict. Over the past year, the conflict has claimed 2,464 lives and left 11,530 injured, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. The escalation has forced the closure of five hospitals and 100 primary health centres, with 94 health workers killed and 36 attacks on healthcare facilities, two-thirds of which occurred after 17 September. Airstrikes have expanded to new areas, such as Zgharta, Batroun, and Kesserwan, displacing over 809,000 individuals. Many displaced persons are now housed in collective shelters, which are at or nearing capacity, while others remain in precarious conditions. Schools have been repurposed as shelters, delaying the start of the school year for 400,000 children.

Despite these challenges, UNFPA continues to provide vital sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-based violence (GBV) services. Through 12 women and girls safe spaces, eight mobile medical units, and ten primary healthcare centres, UNFPA has distributed over 10,900 dignity kits to shelters across multiple regions. In high-risk areas, such as South Lebanon, UNFPA has reached hard-to-access communities with GBV services, including psychological first aid, referrals, and awareness on mental health and protection. UNFPA is also supporting 30 hospitals to ensure maternal healthcare for displaced pregnant women and deploying mobile medical units to assess needs and provide basic care. To date, UNFPA has helped 50 displaced women access urgent maternal care, and it has delivered Inter-Agency Reproductive Health Kits to the Ministry of Public Health for wider distribution.

As part of the Inter-Agency Flash Appeal for Lebanon, launched on 1 October 2024, UNFPA is seeking US$ 8.6 million to support its SRH and GBV programmes through the end of the year. So far, UNFPA has secured US$ 2 million, including contributions from its Emergency Fund and Humanitarian Thematic Fund, and the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). This funding is critical to addressing the immediate needs of 1 million people, and UNFPA remains grateful to its donors, including SIDA, KOICA, the European Union, Japan, and France, for their support in sustaining Lebanon’s overall humanitarian response.