A staff member of the Amel association, a Lebanese non-governmental organization, recovers items from their branch which was damaged by an Israeli strike on a neighboring building, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Dec. 2, 2024. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
Nearly 580,000 displaced persons in Lebanon headed back to their towns and villages in the 24 hours following the cease-fire implemented at dawn on Nov. 27 between Israel and Hezbollah, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). As of Nov. 30, the Lebanese authorities reported that almost 90 percent of displaced persons in collective reception centers had left, although more than 22,000 people remain in around 400 sites.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that over 28,000 people had crossed from Syria into Lebanon since Nov. 27. The number of displaced persons crossing into Syria had exceeded 560,000 between the end of September and the cease-fire.
These figures, put forward by Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at his daily press briefing, confirm comments made the same day by the outgoing Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, who declared that “the majority of people had returned with dignity to their towns and villages” and that the crisis of displaced persons in Lebanon “had eased.”
According to UNHCR figures, in mid-November there were over 1.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Lebanon, due to the open war between Israel and Hezbollah. The IOM gave a more conservative figure of just under 900,000 internally displaced persons.
On Oct. 8, 2023, the day after Hamas attacked Israel, Hezbollah opened a support front in Gaza from southern Lebanon. After a year of border clashes, the conflict escalated in September 2024, and the regions of South Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs, the northern and western Bekaa, and even Beirut were regularly shelled by the Israeli army. The cease-fire, which came into effect on Nov. 27, remains fragile.
Redirecting efforts
“With regard to Lebanon and the humanitarian situation there, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the United Nations and our partners are refocusing their efforts to meet the needs of displaced people who have begun to return to their communities, those who remain displaced, host communities, and those who have never left areas affected by hostilities,” continued Dujarric.
“Although people are returning to their communities in Lebanon, challenges remain, including damaged infrastructure, limited services, security issues, and of course the threat of unexploded ordnance,” the spokesperson added.
The war in Lebanon has so far claimed at least 3,961 lives and left 16,520 wounded, according to the latest Health Ministry count published last Friday. On Monday, 10 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south of the country.