Growing Death and Displacement Rates Devastate Lebanon

A Lebanese mother holds her child as she heads toward a UNICEF clinic after being displaced from her home due to escalated violence. Credit: UNICEF/Abdallah Agha

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 11 2024 (IPS)

The ongoing, escalating violence in Lebanon force millions of Lebanese civilians to face daily bombardment, repeated orders of evacuation, routine destruction of critical infrastructure, and limited access to basic services. With the death toll and rates of displacement on the rise, humanitarian organizations fear that the upcoming winter season is expected to exacerbate these harsh conditions, making Lebanon almost uninhabitable.

On November 7, peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported a multitude of airstrikes across Lebanon that were issued by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, 40 people were killed in an airstrike on the ancient city of Baalbek, which also damaged the ancient Ottoman Manshiya building, a UNESCO world heritage site. “The destruction of this exceptional monument next to a UNESCO World Heritage site is an irremediable loss for Lebanon and for world heritage,” said Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada.

Bombardments have also continued in Beirut’s suburbs. On October 6, at least four separate airstrikes in different parts of the city occurred after the IDF issued an evacuation order. It is not yet known how many civilians were killed or injured by this attack. One day prior, Lebanon’s Civil Defense Agency announced that 30 bodies had been pulled from the rubble of a four-story apartment building in Barja which was leveled by an airstrike. It is estimated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that around 4,000 residential buildings have been destroyed.

Recent estimates from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) show that approximately 3,000 Lebanese civilians were killed in the past year, including 185 children and 560 women. Additionally, in the past year there have been over 78 attacks on healthcare facilities, resulting in the deaths of 130 healthcare workers. Equipment was damaged and supplies were looted during these attacks, further aggravating the lack of accessible healthcare in Lebanon.

According to Jihad Saada, the head of Beirut’s Rafic Hariri hospital, Lebanon’s current economic crisis has taken a significant toll on the nation’s healthcare system. According to OCHA, since the escalation hostilities, the nation’s gross domestic product fell from $54.9 billion in 2018 to $17.94 billion in 2023. This has led to significant levels of hyperinflation, rendering daily necessities unaffordable. 44 percent of the entire population lives in poverty, with 59 percent of households unable to sustain themselves financially.

“The healthcare crisis started due to the economic crisis in the country, which has affected hospitals in multiple ways,” said Saada. “One main issue is the loss of nurses because they are the backbone of the hospital. Many have moved to the private sector or emigrated outside of Lebanon. As a result, the hospital’s budget has been strained, leading to some shortages in our stock and maintenance, which require funding.”

According to OCHA, the IDF has issued evacuation orders for over 160 villages and 130 buildings across Lebanon’s most critically endangered areas. IOM reports that as of November 4, approximately 872,808 civilians have been internally displaced within Lebanon, with new displacements being recorded on a daily basis. OCHA reports that displacements are particularly concentrated in the Haret Saida and Baalbek regions, where bombardments and evacuation orders have considerably increased in the past few weeks.

As of November 6, approximately 3,530 internally displaced persons are residing in shelters run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Near East (UNRWA). Living conditions in these shelters remain dire, primarily due to a lack of essential resources. The World Food Programme (WFP) states that severe food insecurity has deepened throughout Lebanon over the course of this conflict, with 1.26 million people, or approximately half of all Lebanese families, struggling to feed themselves.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), over 11,000 pregnant women are currently residing in displacement shelters with little to no access to prenatal care, nutrition, clean drinking water, and hygiene materials. Rita Abou Nabhan, a specialist working with Relief International’s Health Program in Bekaa Valley, says the lack of water is particularly concerning as it makes infections far more likely. According to estimates from the UN, 85 percent of all displacement shelters in Lebanon have been outstretched to maximum capacity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that they had recorded cases of measles, hepatitis A, and other infectious diseases among displaced communities, warning that widespread resurgence is in the realm of possibilities due to the decreased sanitation levels in displacement shelters that occurs in the winter season.

The UN has launched an appeal for 2.7 billion dollars in an effort to assist struggling communities in Lebanon. This will provide refugees and vulnerable populations living in shelters with essential services such as food, clean drinking water, hygiene kits, winter preparation materials, and education. With the upcoming winter season expected to aggravate living conditions in shelters, the UN urges further donor contributions so efforts can be maximized.

IPS UN Bureau Report