Lebanon: Flash Update #47 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 25 November 2024
This report is produced by OCHA Lebanon in collaboration with humanitarian partners and the Inter Sector Coordination Group. It covers the period from 22-25 November 2024.
HIGHLIGHTS
- 3,768 people killed and 15,699 injured since 8 October 2023, including at least 240 children killed (MoPH).
- 899,725 people internally displaced of whom 51% female and 49% male (IOM).
- 140 attacks on healthcare facilities, with 233 health workers killed and 206 injured while on duty since 8 October 2023 (WHO).
SITUATION OVERVIEW
This report, finalized on 25 November, predates the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, which took effect on 27 November at 4 a.m. Beirut time. The 60-day agreement offers a critical opportunity to alleviate the suffering of millions affected across Lebanon.
However, humanitarian needs remain at unprecedented levels. The conflict has already claimed over 3,800 lives, left more than 15,800 injured, and caused widespread destruction and displacement, underscoring the urgent need for sustained humanitarian assistance.
The humanitarian situation in Lebanon remains dire, with health services overwhelmed, child casualties rising, and outstanding critical needs across the country. Israel airstrikes intensified over this reporting period with daily attacks in Beirut suburbs, in addition to the South, Nabatieh, Bekaa, Baalbek El-Hermel, and Mount Lebanon governorates, resulting in extensive damage, significant casualties and triggering new displacement. In central Beirut, an airstrike in the early hours of 23 November destroyed a residential building in Basta al-Fawqa, killing 29 people and injuring 67 according to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). National authorities report that a total of 84 people were killed in the country on 23 November. On average, 250 people have been killed every week in November, bringing the death toll to a total of 3,768 deaths and 15,699 injuries, including 240 children killed since 8 October 2023.
Diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire continued, with humanitarian organizations reiterating the need for an immediate end to hostilities and action to alleviate the worsening crisis.
UNICEF has sounded the alarm on the heavy cost that children in Lebanon are bearing after at least 9 children were killed between 22 and 23 November alone, including boys and girls who were sleeping in their beds when strikes hit. The violence once again prompted school closures in Beirut and surrounding areas, with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) announcing a shift to remote learning for 25 November, further disrupting an already fragile school year.
WHO has expressed grave concern over the toll that the conflict is taking on Lebanon's health system.
The Organization reports that 140 recorded incidents of violence against healthcare facilities and personnel have resulted in 233 deaths and 206 injuries. Particularly troubling is the damage to Lebanon’s hospital infrastructure, with 10 per cent of the country’s hospitals no longer fully operational.
The healthcare system, already stretched thin before the conflict, now faces significant challenges in providing care to people in need. WHO reports a marked increase in mental health issues due to prolonged exposure to violence and displacement. WHO has also raised concerns on the risk of infectious diseases in collective shelters with increasing numbers of displaced people in sites with substandard conditions.
UNHCR has highlighted the concerning situation for Lebanese and refugees in the country, particularly as freezing temperatures and heavy rains worsen conditions for those forced to flee.
Through a rapid assessment of contracted shops, WFP has revealed significant food supply disruptions.
In El Nabatieh, 80 per cent of shops have been non-operational, with complete supply disruptions recorded in early November. Food supply challenges are also acute in the South (83 per cent) and Southern Beirut suburbs (63 per cent). Stock shortages remain critical in Akkar and the South, while inflation continues to impact prices nationwide, particularly in Akkar, the North, Beirut, Baalbek-El Hermel, and Bekaa governorates.
UNIFIL reports continued attacks on peacekeeping, with the most recent attack occurring on 22 November when two rockets struck UNIFIL Sector West Headquarters in Shama, injuring four peacekeepers. This was the third attack on this UNIFIL base in Shama in a week.
Casualties and Displacement
- 3,768 people have been killed (including 240 children) and 15,699 injured since 8 October 2023 (MoPH) as of 25 November 2024.
- 140 attacks against health care, resulting in 233 health workers and 206 injured while on duty since 8 October 2023 according to the surveillance system for attacks on health care (SSA) as of 25 November.
- As of 25 November, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported 899,725 people displaced within Lebanon since 8 October 2023 (of whom 51 per cent are female and 49 per cent are male), including 3,575 people newly displaced since the previous report (21 November), mostly to Chouf, El Meten, Akkar, Saida, and Kesrwane.
- As of 24 November, IOM estimates that around 25,000 migrants have been forced to flee their homes and workplaces.
- Among those displaced within Lebanon, 190,102 are currently in 1,177 collective shelters, 83 per cent of which are at maximum capacity (DRM, as of 22 November). As of 12 November 2024, 3,466 displaced people were also registered in UNRWA shelters.
- An estimated 562,000 people (37 per cent Lebanese and 63 per cent Syrians) have crossed from Lebanon to Syria since the escalation of hostilities, as of 25 November 2024 (UNHCR). According to UNHCR, 39,071
- Lebanese nationals have arrived in Iraq (an average of 500 people a day), as of 20 November.
