UNHCR: Lebanon-Syria humanitarian and displacement crisis continues to deepen

Briefing notes

UNHCR: Lebanon-Syria humanitarian and displacement crisis continues to deepen

22 November 2024

A plume of smoke caused by the impact of a missile strike is visible over the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut, Lebanon, on 15 November.

Lebanon

This is a summary of what was said by Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

BEIRUT – The past few weeks have been the deadliest and most devastating for Lebanon and its people in decades, with Israel dramatically intensifying its airstrikes and ground incursions, deepening the humanitarian catastrophe for civilians.

In Lebanon, more than 3,500 people have now been killed, 15,000 wounded, and an estimated 1.3 million directly impacted and uprooted from their homes since October 2023. The ongoing hostilities have torn apart countless lives, creating devastating protection challenges and leaving many vulnerable and at great risk.

While today marks Lebanon’s Independence Day, it is alas overshadowed by sadness and growing anxiety. The situation remains highly unpredictable, leaving both Lebanese and refugees in the country uncertain and fearful for their safety and immediate futures.

As temperatures plummet, we fear humanitarian conditions for those displaced will worsen. Cold weather and heavy rains are exacerbating the plight of a huge number of vulnerable people, who have been forced to flee their homes. Among their most pressing needs are adequate shelter and winter assistance.

Since October 2023, UNHCR has been a leading agency in UN relief efforts, delivering essential aid, shelter, and protection and other vital services to some 450,000 people, including Lebanese (70 per cent) and refugees. We have been improving collective shelters hosting the displaced and providing blankets and warm clothes.

UNHCR is actively advocating for equal access to shelter for all displaced people, particularly refugees who were already in an acutely precarious situation before this crisis. Our protection response – which includes counselling, community support and creating safe spaces for those most at risk – has reached over 100,000 people. We are supporting a network of 44 health facilities across the country while providing life-saving equipment, including trauma kits.

UNHCR teams are on the ground, listening, supporting and working tirelessly to bring back a semblance of normalcy, even though they may themselves have been displaced or are in harm’s way.

What is needed, however, is an urgent ceasefire to stop the spiraling violence. We are urging the international community to stand by Lebanon and urgently provide much-needed funding to help everyone affected, including those who have fled to Syria and beyond. We are grateful for the support that has been quickly dispatched by donors, but we have under half the funds needed to respond to immediate humanitarian needs.

Syria

This is a summary of what was said by Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR Representative in Syria – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

DAMASCUS – As a result of the deadly situation in Lebanon, over 557,000 people have crossed to Syria in recent weeks. Despite attacks and damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on a number of border crossings and roads, people continue to flee the intensified bombardments in Lebanon, mainly on foot.

Most new arrivals (80 per cent) are women and children. A striking number of those crossing – 41 per cent – are in female-headed families. Some arrivals, including children and older people, bear injuries from their arduous journeys or bombardments. Many require emergency assistance including food, shelter, health care, legal aid and clothing.

Inside Syria, Israeli airstrikes have also increased, posing serious risks to civilians and UNHCR and partner staff and facilities, and affecting our ability to swiftly deliver support to people in desperate need. Airstrikes near border crossings jeapordize people’s ability and right to flee the conflict in Lebanon.

Last week, an Israeli airstrike hit Shamsin, near a location where Lebanese refugees were gathering to receive assistance. The attack caused significant material damage to the Damascus-Homs Road; thankfully, no casualties were reported. UNHCR and other partners were also forced to suspend missions to border points in Homs following Israeli airstrikes near Al-Qusair, close to the Joussieh border crossing between Syria and Lebanon, which damaged several bridges and resulted in casualties. Following security assessments, our missions resumed on 18 November.

Many of the Syrians returning have indicated an intention to head back to their areas of origin such as Aleppo, Homs, Sweida and Tartous, with some making their way to the northwest and northeast. They are arriving in communities that have been battered by the enduring crisis in Syria. Two in three people in Syria need humanitarian assistance and over 7 million are still displaced inside the country.

They are living in overcrowded conditions in buildings and structures that are often already damaged and largely unsuitable for habitation. Limited access to adequate and safe housing is a concern, increasing protection risks and winter exposure.

UNHCR and our UN and NGO partners, including the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, are providing emergency items such as blankets, mattresses and solar lamps to recent arrivals, as well as psychosocial and legal support. With local partners, we are providing legal aid and advice at the border – particularly to Syrians – to facilitate their entry, help obtain critical civil documents and raise awareness on issues relating to real-estate rights. Follow-up legal support is also provided in receiving communities. This is done through our existing network of 114 community centres and 119 mobile units travelling across the 14 governorates to visit people in hard-to-reach areas and others who cannot get to us, like the elderly, people with disabilities and those who cannot afford transport.

UNHCR has also started distributing winter kits including high-thermal blankets, winter clothing and plastic sheets; our aim is to reach 420,000 people. But this is not enough. Our funding levels are critically low. The inter-agency appeal for Syria is still only 17 per cent funded.

The situation in Syria needs more than an emergency response. We need a different approach, to address immediate humanitarian needs whilst also prioritizing resilience-building to restore livelihoods and empower people to become self-sufficient and help make the return of refugees who have crossed back sustainable and dignified.