While Israeli attacks continue despite the ceasefire, the Lebanese Government is struggling to address the urgent humanitarian needs of the population and international aid remains insufficient. Since the start of the war, a fifth of Lebanese, or 1.2 million people, have been forced to flee their homes. This is the reality of the country of cedars.

First modification: 05/03/2026 - 02:41

Almost two weeks after the ceasefire announced by the Trump Administration, Lebanon remains in a critical situation. The Israeli bombings, which continue unabated, claimed another 17 fatalities on Thursday, April 30, while the neighboring country continues to create an uninhabitable buffer zone in the south, claiming that it wants to protect its territory from attacks by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia.

“Israeli violations persist in the south despite the ceasefire, as well as the demolition and razing of houses and places of worship, while the number of victims increases day by day,” denounced Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a statement.

Since March 2, Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah have caused 2,500 deaths and displaced 1.2 million, according to an official report. Refugees who, overnight, find themselves unemployed, homeless and without future prospects.

"These displaced Lebanese are on the streets or, in the best of cases, staying with relatives. The Government has also opened schools to welcome them. These are people who no longer have a home or who can no longer access it. They need everything: clothing, food, health care...", Sami Fakhouri, spokesperson for the Red Cross and Red Crescent, explains on France 24.

Read also "We sleep overcrowded, but we are lucky": the life of the displaced in Lebanon

When asked about the death of three Lebanese first responders on Wednesday, April 29, in an Israeli attack, he recalled that "it is very complicated to work for humanitarians, this is the case in all countries in crisis, but especially in Lebanon, where two Red Cross volunteers have lost their lives while doing their work, not to mention several injured."

One billion dollars to face the emergency

According to a study published this week by UN organizations and the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, more than one million Lebanese face severe food insecurity.

“This deterioration is due to conflict, the displacement of people and economic pressures,” adds the report, which warns that the situation could worsen.

There are many who "replace meat with pasta and potatoes. Everything has become too expensive [...]. Some farmland has been abandoned and supply chains have been disrupted," explains France 24 correspondent Serge Berberi, who collects several testimonies from Lebanese.

"A mother confessed to me that $100 is no longer enough to fill a shopping cart. Despite the truce, the humanitarian crisis continues to take hold in everyday life."

Read alsoLebanon denounces the death of journalist Amal Khalil as a "war crime" by Israel

Lebanon, already severely affected by the 2024 conflict and mired in an economic crisis, faces an unsolvable financial equation, with decreasing income and increasing needs. According to 'Bloomberg', the authorities have requested an emergency loan of between $800 million and $1 billion to help the people most affected by the conflict.

Because, at the moment, despite requests made to international financial institutions and friendly countries, there is not enough money. As 'RFI' explains, the amount of international aid remains much lower than the 720 million dollars obtained during the previous conflict with Israel.

To address the most urgent needs, authorities are considering reviewing budget priorities. Loans already granted for infrastructure projects could be redirected, while the Government has slowed the increase in salaries in the public service.

“The fate of the Lebanese is not in their hands”

On the ground, hopes for lasting peace appear slim. On April 30, Donald Trump announced direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel “within two weeks,” the result of preparatory meetings held in Washington between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors.

"Lebanon is at a turning point. Its people have a historic opportunity to take back the reins of their country and forge their future as a truly sovereign and independent nation," the US embassy in Beirut said in X, calling for a direct meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu. “The time for hesitation is over,” he says.

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But the Lebanese Government has set several conditions for these direct talks, in particular the cessation of Israeli attacks, the Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories and the abandonment of the self-proclaimed “buffer zone” in the south, as 'L'Orient-Le Jour' recalls.

In the political sphere, the gap between the Lebanese president, determined to carry out these negotiations, and Hezbollah, which opposes them and intends to continue its attacks against Israel, is accentuating. A fracture that complicates any lasting solution to the Lebanese crisis.

"This country, at the moment, is on the brink of civil war. The question is: how can we support the Lebanese authorities so that peace is respected and so that the Lebanese can finally live in peace?" French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin declared on 'BFMTV' on Tuesday.

“The problem is that until now we have not managed to build a State worthy of the name or isolate Lebanon from the wars of the major regional axes,” Karim-Émile Bitar, professor at Sciences Po and the Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, comments on France 24.

"There is such a rampage of madness and violence on an international scale that we could find ourselves swept up in this whirlwind. Let us not minimize the risk [of civil war, editor's note], but let us continue [...] trying to restore an impartial State that is solid enough to resist all aggressions, wherever they come from," the expert concludes.

This article was adapted from its original French version.

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