Beirut: Islamic Relief aid workers in Lebanon are reporting mass panic and displacement, with families sheltering in schools to try and escape deadly airstrikes and forced evacuation orders. As the crisis escalates across the Middle East there are fears that upwards of one million people in Lebanon will be displaced, causing a major humanitarian crisis.
Many civilians have nowhere safe to go as the Israeli military has ordered people to leave large parts of southern Lebanon, forcing thousands of families to flee north towards Beirut, which has been struck by heavy airstrikes that have killed and wounded dozens of people.
Roads are jammed with fleeing families who have packed everything they can into cars and trucks. Some families report a journey of just 30 miles taking six or seven hours.
The government of Lebanon has designated hundreds of schools in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and other parts of the north, as temporary shelters for displaced families. Islamic Relief is planning to provide aid including food, water, blankets, mattresses, and hygiene kits.
Islamic Relief’s country director in Lebanon, Akram Sadeq, says the airstrikes are even worse than during the 2024 war, which caused massive destruction and civilian casualties across the country:
“The airstrikes started in the middle of the night and woke families as they slept after a day of fasting for the holy month of Ramadan. Today’s strikes are even stronger and more extensive than those we saw in 2024.
“It’s expected that as many as one million people will flee their homes, and the influx of people from the south of Lebanon to the north is massive. The situation is very tense. People are fleeing the south because of the Israeli airstrikes and orders to evacuate, but what they fear even more is the possibility of a ground invasion.
“The Lebanese government doesn’t have the resources to handle such massive displacement on its own. Islamic Relief is working with the government and other aid agencies to make sure displaced families have the food and supplies they need.”
As attacks escalate across the Middle East, Islamic Relief teams throughout the region are ready to respond to growing humanitarian needs – including in Yemen, Iraq, Turkiye, Jordan, Syria, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as Lebanon.
We are gravely concerned that further regional destabilisation could affect and displace millions of civilians across the region. We call on all parties to pursue a diplomatic resolution, uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, protect civilian life, and ensure that humanitarian organisations can continue to operate safely.
