Beirut, Lebanon, March 17, 2026 — With one million people now displaced in Lebanon in just two weeks, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) warns that one of the fastest displacement crises the country has faced is straining already fragile services and pushing communities to the brink. The numbers of displaced are likely much higher as one million is only based on those who have self-registered with the government.
The scale and speed of displacement are creating urgent humanitarian challenges across Lebanon. Families are arriving with little more than the clothes they fled in, sheltering in schools, unfinished buildings, and overcrowded homes. Since the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli airstrikes and evacuation orders across large areas of southern Lebanon have forced families from their homes, often with no clear prospects for safe return. The hostilities driving this displacement must cease immediately.
Thousands remain without adequate shelter—sleeping in the open, on the streets, in tents, or in their cars—while others are packed into overcrowded, under-equipped collective shelters with limited access to clean water, sanitation, and privacy. Local services are struggling to keep pace with rising demand.
Magda Rossmann, IRC Country Director for Lebanon, said:
“One million people displaced inside Lebanon in just two weeks is a shocking and deeply alarming figure. What makes this moment especially troubling is how quickly it has been reached. For Lebanon, this level of displacement in such a short period is a humanitarian turning point.
More than 300,000 children have already been forced from their homes. For many families, this is not the first time they have been forced to flee in less than two years. For children, repeated displacement means interrupted education, deepening distress, and growing uncertainty about their future.
Civilians must not continue to pay the price of escalating violence. All parties must stop putting civilians in harm’s way. Every additional day of fighting means more families arriving exhausted and frightened, carrying little more than the clothes they left home in. Parents are trying to comfort children who have been uprooted overnight and do not know where they will sleep or if they will return home. The IRC is doing everything we can to respond, but the needs are immense and growing by the day. The international community must urgently step up with the support needed to ensure families who have lost everything are not left to face this crisis alone.”
In response to the escalating crisis, the United Nations and humanitarian partners have launched a $308.3 million Flash Appeal covering March to May 2026, aimed at providing lifesaving assistance and protection to up to one million people affected by the emergency.
As the NGO co-lead for the Child Protection sector in Lebanon, the IRC is helping coordinate the emergency response for children alongside humanitarian partners while scaling up critical services for those affected by the crisis. Displacement and violence expose children to heightened risks including exploitation and severe psychological distress. IRC teams are supporting safe spaces for children, providing psychosocial support, and working with caregivers and communities to help children cope with the distress of sudden displacement.
Behind the staggering numbers are families who have already lost too much. The IRC calls for urgent action to protect civilians and bring an end to the violence driving this crisis to prevent more children will grow up defined by displacement rather than stability, safety, and the chance to rebuild their lives.