UN doubles Lebanon aid appeal as conflict deepens humanitarian crisis
With only $185 million secured from the initial March request, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that coping capacities are exhausted as Hezbollah rejects a conditional ceasefire.
The United Nations has doubled its humanitarian aid appeal for Lebanon to nearly $640 million for the next six months, citing a severe and deteriorating crisis driven by four months of war with Israel. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Friday that only $185 million had been received from the initial $308 million appeal launched in March, necessitating an additional $331 million to address the escalating emergency.
Hostilities began on March 2 in response to United States and Israeli attacks on Iran, prompting Israel to expand military operations in southern Lebanon against the Iran-linked Hezbollah group. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, the conflict has resulted in 3,526 deaths and 10,733 injuries. More than one million people have been displaced, with OCHA noting that repeated displacements and insufficient shelter capacity are deepening vulnerability across the country.
Essential services are under immense strain as the economy worsens. Fuel and electricity prices have risen due to the impact of US-Israeli actions on Iran on global energy supplies. The healthcare system has been particularly hard hit, with 62 hospitals damaged or closed and more than 100 paramedics killed. The education sector is also affected, with nearly 450 schools currently being used as shelters, leading to increased dropout rates and learning loss.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Imran Riza highlighted the alarming toll on civilians, stating that affected people are rapidly exhausting their coping capacities. “In the past three months, communities across Lebanon have faced an appalling situation due to the escalation of hostilities,” Riza said, adding that the situation is worsening by the day.
Diplomatic efforts to halt the violence have stalled, with Hezbollah rejecting a conditional ceasefire agreed upon by Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington on Thursday. The group has demanded a full ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the country, leaving the humanitarian outlook uncertain as aid agencies struggle to meet the doubled funding target.
