The United Nations has launched a new emergency appeal for Lebanon, seeking $639.9 million to address a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
Speaking from Beirut, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Imran Riza described scenes of widespread devastation: “Hospitals and clinics hit by airstrikes, government buildings destroyed, agricultural land scorched, water stations demolished, and schools turned to displacement sites.”
Since the latest escalation, more than 3,500 people have been killed and over 10,000 injured. Nearly one million people remain displaced from their homes.
“Health workers and first responders are facing death and injury on a horrific scale,” Riza said, adding that entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. He noted the deep and lasting trauma of repeated displacement, with families constantly moving due to new evacuation orders.
The conflict has also created heightened dangers for women and girls. Andrew Saberton, Deputy Executive Director for the UN population fund, warned that “overcrowded shelters lack privacy, adequate sanitation, and basic protection measures.” An estimated 600,000 women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence, and approximately 1,800 women are giving birth each month across Lebanon, often without access to essential maternal health services.
Beyond the immediate frontlines, an estimated 28,000 people remain south of Israel's self-declared military line. Riza noted that after the 2024 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, some 68,000 people could not return to their villages. The current estimate of those unable to return is now at least 200,000, likely higher.