After 15 years, the ramifications of the long-running crisis in Syria continue to afflict the country and its people.
While major political change in December 2024 brought hope, the humanitarian situation remains fragile. Syria has one of the largest displacement crises in the world, with millions of people entirely reliant on humanitarian aid.
Here, we explain how the crisis first began and what Islamic Relief is doing to support vulnerable people in Syria.
How did the crisis in Syria begin?
The crisis began in April 2011 when peaceful protests were met with deadly violence from the then-government.
The crackdown on protests eventually led to a brutal conflict that displaced more than half of the country’s population.
Throughout the conflict, ran from April 2011 to December 2024, more than 500,000 people were killed. Hundreds of thousands of people were detained or abducted, many of whom are still missing. Basic services such as electricity, water, and healthcare were either limited or non-existent. Whole villages, towns and cities were destroyed and left to lie in ruins.
In recent years, new emergencies and disasters have heaped pressure on Syria’s infrastructure and its people.
Catastrophic earthquakes hit northern Syria and Türkiye in 2023, pushing large regions of Syria already reliant on humanitarian aid even deeper into poverty. Thousands lost their lives while over 10,000 people were injured. More than 108,000 people became displaced.
By December 2024, Syria had been transformed into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 7.2 million people displaced across the country, many of whom were living in overcrowded camps with little access to food and water.
What is the current situation?
In December 2024, Syria’s government fell and a transitional government was installed in the capital, Damascus.
Despite this monumental change, the humanitarian situation remains critical.
The United Nations estimates that throughout 2025, more than 1.2 million refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced people began returning to their original homes. Amid this mass movement, more than 7.5 million others remain displaced inside Syria, many of whom face critical food shortages, a lack of jobs and no hope of finding permanent housing.
Dwindling international funding means conditions in displacement camps are now worsening. Despite this, a recent UN-led survey found 57% of people in camps plan to remain because their original homes had been destroyed, their villages have little access to essential services, or they simply lack funds to return. Others face a struggle to prove land and property rights as documents have been lost or destroyed.
Syria’s economy and infrastructure have yet to recover from the effects of the conflict, with food prices high electricity blackouts common, and much of the population struggling to access medical support. As of 31 January 2026, more than 16.5 million people in Syria are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance – that is some 70 per cent of the entire population.
How is the Middle East escalation affecting Syria?
In late February 2026, the Middle East saw an enormous escalation in violence following attacks by the United States, Iran and their respective allies.
Falling debris from intercepted rockets have landed in Syria, killing and injuring civilians. As bombardment across the region continues, it is creating more waves of displacement.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 78,000 Syrians have entered from Lebanon since the escalation began, while over 7,700 Lebanese civilians have crossed the border into Syria.
How is the crisis affecting children?
In humanitarian crises it is often children who suffer the most, and Syria is no exception. As of December 2025, nearly half of all Syrian refugees are under the age of 18.
A whole generation of Syrians have grown up knowing only conflict and displacement. Access to education has been limited for so long, entire generations have missed out on their education.
Even children who could attend school, may have had to drop out to help their families earn a living, while the risk of early/forced marriage also increased.
At the start of 2026, 7.5 million children need humanitarian support, 2.45 million children are out of school, and 2 million children are at risk of malnutrition.
What support does Syria need now?
The Syrian Interim Government says it is working to rehabilitate infrastructure, restore electricity, and reestablish basic services. But the scale of damage means this will be an enormous and lengthy process. Reported estimates claim that rebuilding the country could cost up to $345 billion (approx. £257 billion).
Schools and health facilities must be rebuilt and equipped. Teachers and social workers need training to support children who have endured years of trauma.
An underexplored element is legal aid, an essential step in rebuilding communities in helping vulnerable people secure documentation for housing, land, and property rights.
Much of the humanitarian support for Syria is focused on crisis response, but a shift to long-term recovery and development is essential.
What is Islamic Relief doing to support Syria?
Islamic Relief has expanded its operations in Syria since December 2024, reopening an office in Damascus, while expanding its work to reach almost all governorates.
Our long-term projects are focusing on helping rebuild Syria and plugging the gaps in critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
We are running healthcare centres, equipping hospitals and supporting specialist services such as northwest Syria’s only cardiac surgery centre, dialysis centres for kidney patients, blood banks and a prosthetic limb centre that is overwhelmed by people needing treatment.
We are providing water and sanitation services to affected communities in Idlib, Aleppo, Hama Homs, with plans to extend this to all impacted areas in Syria where we will repair, upgrade water and sanitation infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainability.
Islamic Relief is also helping bolster livelihoods, running a unique centre that provides women with vocational skills and supports survivors of gender-based violence. We provide seeds, fertilisers, and tools to farmers, and supply livestock herders with feed during pasture shortages.
Our future plans include expanding our livelihood projects to other governorates to help support industries such as public bakeries, dairy production, poultry farming, and agriculture.
Islamic Relief has been supporting the people of Syria since 2011, remaining on the ground as the years passed and the crisis deepened, and we will continue to stand by the sides of Syrians in the years to come. By donating today, you can help Syrians rebuild their lives.
Please give generously to our Syria Emergency Appeal.
