War in Lebanon escalates
Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes – Welthungerhilfe provides emergency aid
Bonn/Berlin, March 12, 2026. The latest military escalation in the Middle East is hitting Lebanon particularly hard and has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis within just a few days. Intensive air strikes and military operations in several parts of the country—especially in southern Lebanon and Beirut—are forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee. According to official figures, 760,000 people have already registered as internally displaced persons, and 122,000 people are seeking shelter in more than 580 temporary emergency shelters. Many families cannot find space there and spend their nights in cars, on the streets, or in makeshift shelters.
The military escalation is affecting a country that has already been suffering from a severe economic and financial crisis for years and has taken in over a million Syrian refugees. Even before the current fighting began, around 17 percent of the population—around 874,000 people—were affected by hunger.
"During my visit to Beirut a few weeks ago, I spoke with many families about the difficult economic situation and the enormous challenges they face in their everyday lives. At the same time, there was a palpable sense of hope for normalization," says Bettina Iseli, Chief Program Officer at Welthungerhilfe. "This renewed war within two years is destroying much of what has been painstakingly built up and is bringing the country to the brink of collapse. The people urgently need an end to the fighting and a real prospect of peace," demands Bettina Iseli.
Women, children, older people, and people with disabilities are particularly affected. Many collective shelters, some of which have been set up temporarily in churches and schools, are overcrowded and have inadequate sanitary facilities and little privacy. At the same time, essential public services are under growing pressure: Hospitals are being partially evacuated, while water and electricity supplies in many places are reaching their limits.
"The situation has deteriorated significantly again over the last ten days. In our project areas in the south and also in the capital, we hear bombing in the immediate vicinity every day," reports Marie Madeleine Bejjani, Head of Project at Welthungerhilfe in Beirut. "People are living in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. Many families have been displaced multiple times and are desperately trying to find safety somewhere. At the same time, however, we are also seeing people across the country coming together and supporting each other. And that gives us a little hope!“
Welthungerhilfe has been active in Lebanon since 2019 and works closely with Lebanese partner organizations. Despite the difficult security situation, the organization is continuing its work and expanding its emergency aid. As a first step, it is providing 200,000 euros to support displaced people in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. Plans include water deliveries to emergency shelters, the distribution of hygiene, baby, and food packages, and cash assistance for particularly needy families.
Bettina Iseli, Chief Program Officerat Welthungerhilfe (German-speaking), Marie Madeleine Bejjani, Head of Project at Welthungerhilfe in Beirut (English-speaking), and Tommaso Portogalli, Area Manager at Welthungerhilfe Lebanon (English-speaking), are available for interviews
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; it is politically independent and nondenominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, 1962, 12,777 overseas projects in about 72 countries have been supported with 5.42 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe follows the principle of empowering people to help themselves to sustainably improve their living conditions, through approaches ranging from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organizations.
