War in the Middle East

What is happening in the Middle East?

The escalation in Gaza has entered a second year and now spilled over into a regional conflict. 

Palestinian armed groups continue to hold Israeli hostages captive, while Israeli bombardments and ongoing hostilities have left the entire population of Gaza is shattered by death, loss and displacement. 

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, over 100,000 injured. 90 per cent of Gaza’s population is displaced.

The exchange of rockets between northern Israel and southern Lebanon has descended into an open, deadly conflict.

Israeli airstrikes across Lebanese villages and cities, including the capital Beirut, have killed and injured thousands, and displaced over a million people in Lebanon – more than one fifth of its population. 

The displacement crisis in Lebanon has left people seeking shelter in schools, while hundreds of thousands have fled to war-torn Syria.

Over 68,000 people remain displaced from northern Israel and 75,200 people remain displaced from Israel’s Gaza periphery.

The region is boiling, and the international community has failed to rein in the hostilities. 

Civilians are paying the ultimate price.

In Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, the suffering seems endless.

But it can end with a lasting ceasefire.

What is the situation for civilians in Gaza?

Hostilities have displaced 1.9 million Palestinians. The people of Gaza are starving. Children are constantly sick.

Essentials like food, medicine, fuel and baby formula are out of reach for people, either because of chronic shortages or accelerating inflation. Dinners of sweet potatoes or plain rice have become the norm.

In Gaza, everyday life is almost always the same: running from the bombs, queuing up for water, taking shelter, and sharing condolences.

What’s happening in Lebanon?

Should the conflict drag on, many fear the same nightmare scenario will unfold in Lebanon.

Lebanon was already suffering from the worst economic crisis in its history. It has been struggling for years to support over a million refugees from Syria, and hosts the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

Now, the conflict has crippled jobs, education, and almost every other vital sector.

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Thousands of families have lost their lands and shops - their only source of income. Too many are now sleeping in the streets, outside mosques and churches, and in public squares. They have lost everything.

How does this affect Syria?

Many people are fleeing from Lebanon to Syria, where conflict, a cost-of-living crisis and protracted displacement have devastated the population over the past decade.

Now, Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian families in Lebanon are forced to flee across the border with their children because they see no other viable options.

While some might be safe from the immediate threat of bombs and bullets, they don’t know what is going to happen to them. Children face another year without school, and there are not enough jobs. 

Are aid supplies sufficient?

By no means. In Gaza, a few dozen aid trucks make it inside every day when hundreds are needed. The scale of what people need support with is beyond anything we have seen in recent years.

This is the most dangerous place in the world for humanitarian organisations to operate in. More than 300 aid workers have been killed. They risk their lives to deliver life-sustaining assistance.

For a tin of food or a blanket to make it into the hands of a family, it has to go through an arduous, costly, and inspection-heavy process. Trucks are searched, and some aid items are denied entry. Some of our aid has to wait weeks, even months, before it reaches our teams and can be distributed.

People don’t have that time. Children continue to starve. Malnutrition prevails.

How is NRC responding?

Despite the devastation, we are working to save lives and improve conditions for displaced people.

In Gaza, most of our staff have been displaced along with the rest of the population. But despite the loss, our teams throughout the Gaza Strip have continued to work in near-impossible conditions to provide aid.

We are supporting Palestinians in Gaza with education for children, legal assistance, protection against violence, safe drinking water, cash assistance, and tents and shelter materials for displaced families.

In Lebanon and Syria, we are on the ground, providing the essentials that people have been forced to leave behind, such as hygiene items, mattresses and cleaning supplies. We’re also working to improve conditions in emergency shelters (such as schools) to increase access to privacy and washing facilities.  

What can I do to help?

Here are three things you can do to make a difference.

1. You can donate to support our work in the Middle East and other crises across the world.
2. You can follow us on social media and share our posts so that more people are informed about the emergency situation. Facebook, X (formally Twitter), Instagram.
3. You can subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed about the crisis in the Middle East and the rest of the world.