The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that aid agencies are working closely with the Lebanese government to support affected communities amid mounting needs, while the death toll continues to rise at an alarming rate. According to Lebanese health authorities, at least 1,497 people, including 130 children, have been killed since Israeli attacks resumed on March 2.
As of Monday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that over 4,600 people had been injured, including over 400 children. The Ministry also reports that at least 57 healthcare workers have been killed and 145 others injured in Israeli attacks.
Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate Lebanon, causing relentless civilian casualties. Airstrikes have caused widespread destruction to civilian infrastructure, including homes and essential services. Key facilities have been damaged, disrupting access to healthcare, water and electricity.
More than five weeks have passed since the United States and Israel initiated a war with Iran, and the conflict continues to escalate, disproportionately impacting civilians across the Middle East, with those in Lebanon at the epicenter of the wider conflict.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024, Israel has carried out airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by the armed Hezbollah group in Lebanon on March 2.
The escalating conflict has significantly exacerbated security conditions across Lebanon, resulting in mass displacement and widespread infrastructure damage, particularly in the south of the country and in parts of Beirut.
On Sunday afternoon, Israeli forces reportedly struck a densely populated residential area in Beirut, approximately 300 feet from the Rafik Hariri Public Hospital.
In a statement, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) condemned the attack on civilians in a densely populated area, calling for the protection of civilians and health facilities.
“Strikes this close to a hospital spread fear and can stop people from seeking lifesaving care. Civilians cannot be collateral damage,” MSF said on Sunday.
Directing attacks intentionally against the civilian population or individual civilians not taking part in hostilities, as well as intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects such as hospitals, schools or places of worship, constitutes a war crime.
Israeli strikes in Lebanon have already caused widespread displacement. More than 1.2 million people — approximately a fifth of the population — have been displaced, including over 370,000 children and an estimated 13,500 pregnant women.
Over 137,000 people, one third of whom are children, are currently seeking shelter in almost 700 collective sites, many of which are schools. Most displaced people are dispersed across host communities or informal settings, often with limited access to basic services.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), over 620,000 of those displaced are women and girls — nearly a quarter of all women and girls living in Lebanon. They are facing escalating risks of gender-based violence, exploitation and isolation, often in overcrowded or unsafe shelters.
UNFPA is warning that women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable because most shelters remain inaccessible and lack inclusive water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.
Relief efforts include providing clean water. With pumping stations and main supply lines damaged across multiple governorates, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has supplied more than 280,000 liters of fuel to approximately 45 pumping and wastewater stations nationwide. The UN agency is also helping to repair and maintain these sites.
Since the escalation began, humanitarian organizations have distributed over 3 million meals and 65,000 food parcels.
On Monday, OCHA warned that despite these relief efforts, aid is not reaching everyone who needs it, especially displaced people outside formal shelters. Insecurity is also hampering the ability of aid agencies to operate.
“Our call to all remains urgent: de-escalate now; respect international humanitarian law. You must do this by protecting civilians, including humanitarian and health workers; ensure safe, unimpeded access for humanitarian delivery; and fund the response,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Monday.
“As of today, less than $100 million of the $308 million required under the March appeal for Lebanon has been received.”
The United Nations remains deeply concerned by the ongoing escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, including Israeli strikes in Beirut.
UNIFIL peacekeepers report continued exchanges of rocket and artillery fire, airstrikes, and clashes on the ground in their area of operations, alongside an increased presence of Israeli forces and assets inside Lebanese territory.
On Friday, an explosion occurred at a UN position near El Adeisse. Three Indonesian peacekeepers were injured, two of them seriously. The two most seriously injured peacekeepers were airlifted to a hospital in Marjayoun, where they are now reported to be in stable condition. The less seriously injured peacekeeper received on-site medical treatment.
Also on Friday, Israeli soldiers destroyed all the force protection cameras facing Minghy Street outside UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters.
"These cameras were positioned solely to monitor the immediate vicinity of our headquarters and ensure the safety and security of both military and civilian peacekeepers. We have conveyed our serious concern to the IDF," Dujarric said on Monday.
"Again, we urge all actors to uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel at all times."
In late March, three Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL has launched a formal investigation to determine the origin of the projectile and roadside explosion, but has not officially named a responsible party.
Intentionally attacking personnel, installations, material, units, or vehicles involved in a peacekeeping mission is a war crime.
Since March 2, Lebanon has been facing a rapidly worsening humanitarian emergency due to massive Israeli airstrikes and ground operations. These were triggered by a broader regional escalation following the US-Israeli launch of a war against Iran, which was met with rocket and drone fire by the Hezbollah armed group.
Even before the latest escalation, hostilities in Lebanon had already escalated significantly between September and November 2024, when thousands of Israeli airstrikes across Lebanese territory caused substantial civilian casualties and mass displacement.