Over 1.2M Face Acute Hunger Amidst War Fallout in Lebanon

More than 1.2 million people in Lebanon are expected to face acute hunger due to the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a UN-backed report on Wednesday. The figure was announced by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme, and Lebanon’s agriculture ministry. It is based on analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which monitors hunger and malnutrition.

This represents a significant deterioration from before the war erupted in March, when an estimated 874,000 people, roughly 17 per cent of the population, were experiencing acute food insecurity. The report attributes this deterioration to conflict, displacement, and economic pressures.

A ceasefire since April 17 has paused six weeks of war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,500 people in Lebanon and displaced over one million, according to authorities. Israeli forces are operating in southern Lebanon near the border, where residents have been warned not to return, and both sides have been trading fire despite the truce.

“Acute food insecurity is likely to deepen without sustained and timely humanitarian and livelihood support,” the statement added.