Men hang clothes to dry outside their tents used as shelter, at Beirut waterfront, Lebanon, June 4, 2026. (credit: Mohamed Azakir/ Reuters)
BEIRUT — The U.N. on Friday more than doubled its appeal for donations for Lebanon, requesting nearly $640 million over six months amid war between Israel and Hezbollah.
"The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is severe and deteriorating," said the United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA, in a revised emergency appeal.
"Repeated displacements, insufficient shelter capacity and limited prospects for safe return are deepening vulnerability," it said, warning that "affected people are rapidly exhausting their coping capacities, and essential services are under increasing strain".
The U.N. initially requested $308 million in March to support a major emergency response led by the Lebanese government through the end of May. On Friday, it said an additional $331.5 million would be needed through the end of August.
Only $185.9 million has been received so far from the initial appeal, OCHA added, noting that this amount enabled assistance for about 680,000 people between March 2 and May 31.
The goal is now to more than double that number and reach the entire 1.4 million people — about a quarter of the population — who need humanitarian assistance in the country, the agency added.
Since the resumption of the war on March 2, Israeli bombings have killed at least 3,526 people and injured 10,733 others in Lebanon.
Since then, nearly 1.2 million Lebanese have been forced to flee their homes across the country, while a similar number of people are facing acute food insecurity, according to Friday’s appeal.
Price pressures are also adding to the distress, with the cost of water, fuel, and electricity up by more than a third nationwide, and up to 70 % in areas affected by the conflict, the agency said.
OCHA also highlighted the strain the conflict has put on Lebanon’s health system, with 62 hospitals and other medical facilities damaged or shut down.
Education is also affected, it added, noting that nearly 450 schools are being used to shelter displaced people, leading to a loss of learning and increased risk of students dropping out.
