UNHCR: Despite announced ceasefire, more people are forced to flee their homes in Lebanon

BEIRUT – Despite an announced ceasefire in place since 17 April, the displacement and humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is far from over. This is a deeply fragile moment, marked by ongoing Israeli airstrikes, shelling, demolitions, evacuation orders, bans on return to certain areas and movement restrictions that continue to drive repeated displacement and rapidly growing humanitarian needs.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, highlights that even though the capital, Beirut, has not been struck in recent weeks and the situation in Lebanon features less in the media, civilians remaining in the south of Lebanon and parts of the Bekaa are living with the same fear for their lives as before the ceasefire. And more are being forced to flee.

Since 17 April, at least 380 people have been killed despite the announced ceasefire. Widespread destruction continues across large parts of the country, affecting homes belonging to hundreds of thousands of people as well as basic infrastructure. According to the National Council of Scientific Research in Lebanon (CNRS), 428 housing units were destroyed and a further 50 damaged in just the first three days of the ceasefire. Civilians continue to be directly affected, and insecurity continues to shape people’s decisions about whether they return to their towns and villages or stay put, in relative safety, for now. Many of the displaced are not even allowed to return by the Israeli army in areas it controls in the south.

Although all displaced people are longing to return to their homes and thousands of families have tried to do so since the ceasefire, these movements are tentative, partial and often reversed. Many are testing whether it is safe to go back, only to find their homes destroyed, their neighbourhoods unsafe, and basic services unavailable. Families flee, return briefly, then flee again – caught in repeated and exhausting cycles of uncertainty.

Those who return face grim realities: widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure, no electricity or water, damaged or non‑functional health-care facilities and schools, and ongoing risks from unexploded ordnance.

Just last week, I met families who had attempted to return to their homes in Nabatieh and Tyre, only to come back to collective shelters, even more devastated after seeing their homes completely destroyed. One man showed me a photo of his demolished house on his phone. He is now back in Saida, sleeping on the floor of a school shelter, with nothing to return to.

Cross‑border movements continue. Following the renewed escalation of conflict on 2 March, over 310,000 Syrians have crossed into Syria from Lebanon, reporting no viable alternative but to leave.

At the same time, the Lebanon Flash Appeal remains critically underfunded, with only 38 per cent of the funds needed received so far, severely limiting the scale and continuity of life‑saving assistance.

Despite these challenges, UNHCR continues to support the government‑led response, working closely with national authorities and partners to provide protection services, emergency shelter, cash assistance, and core relief items.

This fragile ceasefire must be upheld to enable safe returns for displaced families and be matched by sustained international support.

For more information, please contact:

• In Beirut, Dalal Harb: [email protected], +961 70113107
• In Amman, Rula Amin: [email protected], +962 (0) 790 045 84
• In Geneva, Babar Baloch: [email protected], +41 79 513 95 49