Smoke from the village of Arab Salim in southern Lebanon after an Israeli airstrike. Heavy Israeli airstrikes have been launched over large parts of southern Lebanon. Photo: Marwan Naamani/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Lebanon
The war in Gaza continues to have devastating consequences and now the violence has escalated and spread to Lebanon.
What is happening in Lebanon?
1.4 million people have had to flee.
Without enough food, water, shelter and medicine, people's lives are at risk. Already, almost 3000 people have been killed.
Lebanon has faced crisis after crisis in recent years; the refugee crisis following the war in Syria, Covid-19, the Beirut explosion in 2020, the cholera outbreak in 2022, violent conflicts and an ongoing economic crisis have all resulted in many more people living in poverty and the collapse of vital services.
Lebanese authorities, communities and humanitarian organizations are struggling to meet the needs of over 1 million people fleeing Israel's air and ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
"This conflict was predictable and could have been avoided. It is the result of a failure to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. For decades, the people of Lebanon have endured crisis after crisis with no chance of recovery. This crisis will only deepen existing challenges faced by the people of Lebanon and further destabilize an already unstable region."
Bachir Ayoub, Oxfam Country Director in Lebanon
Read more about what's happening in Gaza
What is Oxfam doing in Lebanon?
Oxfam, together with local organizations and partners, has been working in Lebanon since 1993. We now work with 30 partners in northern Lebanon, the Beeka Valley and Beirut in consultation with the Lebanese authorities. Our partners in Lebanon have a deep understanding of the needs of the areas we work in.
Right now, we are focusing on supporting the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Lebanon with water and sanitation services, cash assistance, food and hygiene kits. So far, we have reached over 22,000 people with life-saving support.
Oxfam and our partners distribute hygiene kits in a shelter for refugees in Northern Lebanon. Photo: Fatima Ghemrawi/Utopia for Social Justice
History of Riwa
Riwa needed to escape and is currently living in a collective shelter in northern Lebanon with 20 other family members, all in one room. Her youngest daughter is 11 years old and dreams of going back to school and becoming a teacher.
On September 27, Riwa was visiting her family in Beirut when Israeli bombs fell. They then fled to Tripoli in northern Lebanon and now live in a collective shelter.
"We live every day with the hope of returning home, especially since some schools have reopened. It's about my daughter's future. I don't know if the schools in Beirut and South Lebanon are functional or not and even if the schools are up and running again, people have no homes to return to."
Riwa had to flee and is currently living in a collective shelter with 20 other people. Photo: Jean Hatem / Oxfam
"People come to us traumatized. Most have lost their homes and relatives. Some of them are scared because of the amount of bombs that fell while they were fleeing. "
Gheith Bittar, Executive Director of Oxfam partner SHIFT
What is needed now?
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An immediate and permanent ceasefire
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All civilians must be protected
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All arms sales must stop
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All forms of violations of international humanitarian law must stop
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Work towards a sustainable and just peace for the people of Gaza, Lebanon and the region
"The needs of the people in Lebanon who have been injured, traumatized and had to flee are already enormous. Only a ceasefire can alleviate the crisis they are facing. "
Bachir Ayoub, Oxfam Country Director in Lebanon
The international community must condemn this escalation and act to stop it. They must use all means at their disposal to reach a permanent and immediate ceasefire. All parties must comply with international humanitarian law and be held accountable when violations may have occurred.
Without an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the violence risks escalating further.
What does the ceasefire in Lebanon mean?
"While the news of a ceasefire brings relief to millions of people in Lebanon, it is only a fragile pause that does not guarantee an end to violence. Until then, Israel seems determined to continue bombing the country. This 60-day truce means that some of the 1.4 million people displaced by the brutal war can now return home. But hundreds of thousands of people have nowhere to return to after Israel leveled entire villages. A permanent ceasefire agreement must be reached so that communities can rebuild their lives."
Bachir Ayoub, Oxfam Country Director in Lebanon
"All parties to this agreement must now work towards a full, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza. After 415 days of violence, this agreement - while insufficient - can bring an end to escalating violence in Lebanon. But there can be no real end to this war as long as Palestinians in Gaza continue to suffer Israeli bombardment and death."
Bachir Ayoub, Oxfam Country Director in Lebanon
