Lebanon

19 August 2023

Access to education for nearly 6,000 Palestinian refugee children is likely to be affected in Ein El Hilweh camp. As at 19 August 2023, insecurity and the presence of fighters have closed eight UNRWA schools, besides other facilities. There are also reports of the looting of education materials and damaging of school buildings. (UNRWA 19/08/2023, Al Jazeera 18/08/2023)

31 July 2023

Since 29 July 2023, there have been clashes in the Palestinian refugee camp Ein el-Hilweh between Palestinian armed groups, mainly Fatah movement and other Islamist armed groups based in the camp. The clashes have killed at least 11 people, injured 40, and displaced 2,000 to the nearby city of Sidon. The deaths include one aid worker. The displaced people are staying in schools and mosques. They need food, shelter, blankets, medication, and medical care. UNRWA has suspended all operations inside the camp because of insecurity and damage to two of its schools. There have been unsuccessful efforts to reach a ceasefire. Ein el-Hilweh is the largest of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and hosts an estimated 55,000 people. (UNRWA 31/07/2023, UN 31/07/2023, Al Araby 31/07/2023)

18 July 2023

The socioeconomic crisis affecting Lebanon since at least 2019 has largely affected the health sector, especially the access of children and adults to life-saving medication, including cancer treatment. There are 20,000–30,000 cancer patients in the country. Cancer medication is one of the few that remain subsidised by the Government but is challenging to find given shortages in hospitals. The Government is unable to import sufficient stocks because of a lack of foreign currency and increasing debt to international pharmaceutical companies. Some patients resort to buying chemotherapy medication through the black market, which can be unsafe given the risk of contamination and a lack of government supervision. Others import their own treatments from abroad or ration medication to save money. Even when medication is imported, it arrives late. Cancer patients report delays in receiving subsidised medication at hospitals, disrupting their treatment schedule. (AI 09/02/2023, Asharq Al-Awsat 29/12/2022, Arab News 04/02/2023)

02 May 2023

Recent months have seen an increase in actions by Lebanese security forces to detain and deport Syrian refugees, including those with documentation. In April, there were reports of raids on homes and arrests at checkpoints targeting Syrian refugees with an increase in such coercive activity, including in Beirut governorate.
Around 450 Syrian refugees were arrested and at least 200 people deported that month. While deportations have previously occurred, the current political deadlock and regional rapprochement efforts with Syria are contributing to the increase in pressure on the refugee population.
There are over 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and many returnees risk experiencing grave human rights violations in Syria. Economic conditions in Lebanon have increased pressure on refugee populations, with 53% of Syrian refugees are projected to face high acute food insecurity.

(Reuters 01/05/2023, HRW 06/07/2022, IPC 22/12/2022)

05 April 2023

In March 2023, the Lebanese lira sunk to a new low, losing more than 95% of its value since the socioeconomic crisis started in 2019.

Around 2.2 million people, including 1.98 million Lebanese (33% of the assessed population), are estimated to be food-insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance in the first quarter of 2023.

Lebanese residents are facing the most food insecurity in Akkar, Mount Lebanon, and North governorates. The economic crisis has increased the multidimensional poverty rate in 2023 to more than 80%, up from 42% in 2019. The unemployment rate also reached around 30% in 2022 – up from 11% in 2019. The economic crisis is causing Lebanese households to face challenges in accessing food, healthcare, education, and other basic services.
(The 961 04/04/2023, VAO 14/03/2023, FAO/WFP 19/01/2023, USAID 20/01/2023,  IPC 22/12/2022, IFRC 03/01/2023, WB accessed 25/01/2023, ILO 12/05/2022,UNHCR 16/02/2022)