UN More Than Doubles Humanitarian Aid Appeal for Lebanon

The United Nations and the Government of Lebanon launched an urgent humanitarian appeal on June 5, 2026, seeking an additional $331.5 million to assist 1.4 million people. This request brings the total funding requirement through August to $639.9 million, more than doubling an initial March appeal for $308 million, of which only $185 million was received.

The funding aims to address a crisis sparked by conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began on March 2. Lebanese health officials report 3,558 deaths and 10,870 injuries, while nearly one million residents have been displaced. The UN warns that 1.24 million people face crisis levels of hunger, 62 health facilities are damaged or closed, and nearly 450 schools are serving as shelters.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized Israel for a policy of collective punishment and accused Iran of using southern Lebanon as a bargaining chip by rejecting a U.S.-mediated ceasefire agreement reached on June 3. Despite the announced ceasefire, violence reportedly continues, with 28,000 people remaining beyond Israel's self-declared military line. The United Nations Population Fund is specifically seeking $25 million of the total appeal to protect 450,000 vulnerable women and girls facing risks of gender-based violence in overcrowded shelters.