Lebanon is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in over 30 years as Israel steps up its invasion. 

Civilians across the country are suffering a waking nightmare as displacement and casualties mount rapidly, including a 12-year-old boy sponsored by Islamic Relief who has been severely wounded in an airstrike. More than 1,800 people have now been killed and over 8,500 wounded.

Local authorities say more than 1 million people – 1 in 6 of the entire population – are now uprooted from their homes, already more than during the 2006 war. Islamic Relief aid workers report increasingly desperate conditions in the overcrowded communal shelters, some of which are having to turn desperate families away as there is no space left. 

Today Israel has issued new so-called ‘evacuation orders’ forcing even more civilians to leave their homes – in a terrifying echo of what we have seen in Gaza over the past year, where similar Israeli orders have forced almost the entire population of Gaza into a tiny strip of land where diseases and hunger are spreading fast. These displacement orders are inhumane, cause enormous suffering and distress to civilians, and do not absolve Israel of its responsibility to protect civilians who cannot or choose not to leave their homes. 

As Israel steps up its invasion of Lebanon, continues to bomb and blockade Gaza, violates human rights in the West Bank, and also begins to bomb Yemen, international governments must end arms sales and step up all diplomatic pressure to demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to violations of international law across the whole region. 

Civilians including children are bearing the brunt of this escalation. Islamic Relief is devastated to report that a young boy and his mother who are part of Islamic Relief’s orphan sponsorship programme in Lebanon have been badly injured during a recent airstrike. 

12-year-old Marwan was at home preparing for breakfast with his mother and older sister when a bomb tore through their apartment in southern Lebanon. Marwan and his mother were severely injured and rushed to hospital, many of which are now completely overwhelmed. Marwan is now recovering from surgery to remove shrapnel from his abdomen and thigh, while his mother suffered multiple fractures and remains in intensive care after surgery on her colon and liver. Thankfully, Marwan’s sister was not physically hurt but is psychologically shaken. 

Marwan has been part of our sponsorship programme for several years. He has only one functioning kidney and has suffered kidney failure and recurrent blood and urine infections since birth. An Islamic Relief staff member describes him as a “kind and thoughtful young boy whose days are filled with treatments and pain rather than laugher and play like other children”. His father died when he was young and the family depends on the sponsorship money to buy daily goods and pay for Marwan’s regular doctor visits and medication, especially as Lebanon’s economic crisis has worsened over the past few years. Our prayers are with the family at this terrible time, and we hope for a swift recovery. 

The humanitarian crisis is deteriorating by the day and the UN and wider humanitarian community in Lebanon today launched an appeal for $425 million to step up the response and reach more than 1 million affected people.  While most displaced people remain within Lebanon, at least 100,000 people have also fled across the border to neighbouring Syria. 

 

Islamic Relief staff carrying out daily aid distributions in dozens of shelters for displaced people describe awful conditions with families sleeping in the open air and hundreds of people sharing a single toilet. 

Since the crisis escalated, Islamic Relief has distributed more than 6,434 ready-to-eat food packs, 500 packs of meat, 2,273 hygiene kits, 1,035 blankets, 1,035 mattresses and 16,459 medical items, in Mount Lebanon, Chouf, Sida, Nabatieh, Tyre, Bekaa and Baalbek.

Islamic Relief strongly condemns today’s deadly attacks on civilians in Lebanon and calls on world leaders to take urgent action to stop further escalation.

Today’s Israeli bombing has caused by far the deadliest day in Lebanon since the crisis began almost a year ago. The death toll is rising rapidly but so far more than 180 people are reported killed and over 700 wounded, including children and many other civilians. Hundreds of Israeli airstrikes have torn through residential areas and families are fleeing the south of the country in terror.

The Israeli military’s announcement for civilians in parts of Beirut and southern Lebanon to leave their homes is a horrifying echo of the orders we have seen issued repeatedly in Gaza before large-scale attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure there. Ordering people to leave their homes does not absolve Israel of its obligation under international law to protect civilians, including people who cannot leave or choose not to leave.  

Akram Sadeq Ali, Islamic Relief’s Country Director in Lebanon, says: “There is mass panic, families here are terrified and they don’t know what to do or where to go. Civilians and civilian infrastructure such as homes, hospitals and schools must never be a target and must be protected at all times. Young children are among those killed by the bombs, and any further escalation will be absolutely disastrous for civilians.”  

This latest escalation is likely to force many more families from their homes. More than 116,000 people in Lebanon have already been displaced over the past year and many are now in desperate need of aid. At least 24,000 residential buildings have been badly damaged or completely destroyed.   

The escalation comes as much of the population in Lebanon struggles to cope with the fallout from a years-long economic crisis, which has forced many families into poverty.  

Since tensions escalated in the region last October, Islamic Relief has helped almost 30,000 people affected by the crisis with food parcels, hygiene kits, blankets and mattresses, and has provided thousands of items of medical supplies for hospitals and primary healthcare clinics. The charity is supporting displaced families and local host communities in Nabatieh, Tyre, Bekaa and Balbek, where most of the recently displaced people have been seeking refuge.   

Islamic Relief has been working in Lebanon since 2006, supporting communities through war, displacement and the current crises.  

One year on from the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Morocco, many survivors are still struggling to rebuild and recover and need ongoing support, Islamic Relief says. Thousands of families in remote and mountainous rural communities still lack adequate shelter and essential services, and damaged infrastructure such as homes and schools need to be rebuilt.

Working with local partners and local authorities, over the past year, Islamic Relief has supported over 120 affected villages in Al Haouz and Chichawa provinces, providing over 65,000 people with aid such as food, winter survival clothing, and hygiene kits, as well as constructing two temporary schools and setting up mobile health caravans. These caravans provide some of the most remote communities with general medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, cardiology, and other vital care.

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which struck central Morocco on 8 September 2023, affected 2.8 million people and killed almost 3,000. It destroyed nearly 19,000 homes, damaged 60,000 others, and flattened at least 580 schools, as well as hospitals and other essential infrastructure. The destruction displaced around 500,000 people.

A year later, some families continue to live in makeshift shelters and tents and now face a second winter of homelessness. Their tents are exposed to the elements of the Atlas Mountains, where temperatures often drop below freezing. Islamic Relief has begun building 300 new homes so that people can have protection and privacy.

Many people lost their jobs as well as their homes, and communities require long-term support. Islamic Relief is committed to supporting people to rebuild their livelihoods so they can earn a reliable living and provide for their families.

Earthquake survivor Fatima* recalls: “I was sleeping when the earthquake struck. My daughter woke me up, terrified and panicked. She was extremely frightened and ran away. Then I noticed the ceiling of the room collapsing, and the wall next to me fell until I was trapped under the rubble. When I regained consciousness, only my daughter’s fingers were showing under the rubble. Thankfully we were rescued and are now fine, thank God, and thanks to the benevolent people who helped us. [Islamic Relief] have donated food, drinks, and utensils.”

Ghassen Alimi, Islamic Relief’s Head of Mission in Morocco, says: “The humanitarian needs were enormous in the wake of the earthquake, and there continue to be significant needs on year on. Thousands of those impacted in the Atlas Mountains are still suffering the consequences of the earthquake and need our continued support to help them rebuild. In the initial aftermath we faced great challenges because the destruction of important infrastructure and roads made it difficult to reach mountainous communities. But, thanks to the generosity of supporters all over the world, over the past year we have distributed vital aid such as food, blankets, mattresses and hygiene materials, and established health caravans so that rural families can access healthcare. We are committed to standing with these communities as they rebuild and recover.”

A year on, the people of Morocco are still piecing their lives back together. The reconstruction programme is costly and complex, and with Morocco particularly susceptible to natural disasters, there is a need for increased investment in building community resilience.

Islamic Relief’s response in Morocco is being done in close partnership with local Moroccan organisations, Al Mobadara Association and At Tawassol.