Lebanon: the need for humanitarian aid and funding to help displaced people is growing

ROMA – The World Food Program (WFP) has launched an emergency intervention to provide food assistance to one million people affected by Israeli bombing in Lebanon. The agency is distributing ready-to-eat food rations: bread and hot meals to displaced families across the country. WFP has been on the ground since day one of the crisis and has so far helped more than 66,000 people. In recent months the agency has worked with local organizations to accumulate food supplies in critical areas across the Lebanese territory and was thus able to intervene promptly.

The aid. “In just a few days, WFP assistance has reached thousands of newly displaced people,” comments Matthew Hollingworth, country director of the UN agency in Lebanon. “Today I heard stories of families forced to flee their homes in search of safety. As the crisis deepens, we are preparing to assist up to one million people with cash and food interventions. But we urgently need additional resources to support and scale up our response.” To guarantee meals and essential goods to all those displaced by the war in Lebanon, the organization needs 105 million dollars by the end of December.

Crisis upon crisis. “Lebanon is at breaking point and cannot tolerate another war,” comments Corinne Fleischer, WFP Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe. “Further escalation would be harmful to the people who live in this region and who have already been through other crises. It would also put a strain on the operational and financial capacities of the entire humanitarian community. WFP is on the field, but the funds are not enough. The people in Lebanon need peace.”

The European Union. The European Commission has announced that it will provide €10 million in additional humanitarian aid to help those affected by the escalation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. The objective is to satisfy the most urgent needs: protection, food and health assistance, housing. In 2024 the EU in total gave 74 million euros in humanitarian aid for vulnerable populations in Lebanon. The latest data reported by the Commission indicates at least 90,530 new displaced persons in Lebanon, in addition to the almost 112 thousand displaced persons since October 2023. There are already hundreds of civilian victims and injuries.