860,000 Displaced People Return to Southern Lebanon Amid Crisis

Approximately 860,000 people displaced by conflict in southern Lebanon have returned home, though United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees officials warn that the humanitarian crisis remains immense. Around 360,000 people remain displaced, and many who have returned cannot enter their homes due to extensive debris and destroyed infrastructure. Over 700,000 people currently lack functioning water infrastructure.

The situation persists despite a June cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by the United States, which required Hezbollah to disarm and Israeli forces to withdraw from the south. However, continued clashes and Israeli airstrikes have recently forced hundreds of families to flee north again.

Humanitarian efforts led by the Government of Lebanon and the UN are hampered by severe funding shortages. The inter-agency Flash Appeal is only 48 percent funded, while the specific Lebanon operation for the UN refugee agency is only 24 percent funded.