Over Half a Million Displaced in Lebanon as Medair Scales Up Emergency Response
On 2 March, the regional conflict escalated in Lebanon, with waves of airstrikes resulting in 486 people killed, including at least 83 children, and 1313 wounded. The escalation has caused widespread destruction and trauma among civilians and marks a clear shift from near‑daily airstrikes up to 2 March to intense bombardment since.
Kirollos Fares, Medair Country Director in Lebanon, said: “A week into this escalation, we are seeing unprecedented forced displacement orders. Families are being told to leave with very little notice and no clarity on where they can go or how long they will be away.”
Strikes have been reported in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and Southern Lebanon, triggering large‑scale internal displacement as families move following displacement orders. Public buildings - especially schools - are being repurposed as collective shelters for people fleeing affected areas. Within one week of the escalation, reports indicated that the number of internally displaced people had reached over half a million, with around 120,000 people residing in 567 open Collective Shelters.
Medair is scaling up to meet urgent needs in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and the South. Since the start of the escalation, Medair teams have assessed collective shelters and distributed 79 560 essential relief items - including mattresses and blankets - to 25 595 people. Mobile health units are supporting displaced people in collective shelters, and community health volunteers and midwives have been trained to provide Psychological First Aid. Other activities in Collective Shelters aim at reducing acute distress and ensuring safe referrals to specialised care for those most at risk.
Kirollos Fares added: “Our teams have been working around the clock to match the pace of displacement and reach people where they are. I joined distributions of core relief items in schools that converted to Collective Shelters; the conditions are stark, but so is the steady resolve of our staff and the solidarity we see among people who have had to flee.”
Lebanon’s overlapping crises - economic collapse, degraded public services, and ongoing displacement - have left many households with limited capacity to absorb new shocks. With humanitarian access constraints in some areas and continued risks to civilian safety, immediate priorities include safe shelter, health care, safe water, distribution of non-food items, as well as mental health support.
Medair provides impartial, needs‑based assistance to everyone who calls Lebanon home.
For further information, interview with Kirollos Fares, Medair Country Director in Lebanon, please contact:
Tamara Berger, Field Communications Advisor
Medair, tél. +41 (0)78 716 51 40
E-mail : media@medair.org | www.medair.org
Medair is a humanitarian and international Christian organization founded in 1989, specializing in emergency response and rehabilitation. It intervenes in the most severe crises, providing lifesaving assistance to vulnerable populations affected by conflicts, natural disasters, or epidemics.
Medair focuses on health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as the protection of the most isolated communities. Present in more than 10 countries, the organization works in partnership with local communities to save lives and restore dignity, while strengthening their resilience to future crises. Medair acts without distinction of race, religion, or nationality, guided by the principles of impartiality, independence, and neutrality.
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