New figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – the leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises - come as Lebanon attempts to rebuild after 15 months of escalated conflict with Israel that has seriously damaged agricultural production, disrupted supply chains and caused prices to skyrocket.
Save the Children analysis of the report showed that 526,000 children in Lebanon are projected by March to be in "crisis", "emergency" or "catastrophe" levels of hunger IPC Phase 3 and above - compared to about 504,000 children in October. [2]
For the first time, IPC Phase 4, or "emergency" hunger conditions have been recorded in Lebanon, in the historic city of Baalbek, meaning households are facing high rates of malnutrition and resorting to extreme coping strategies, including child labour, illegal activities, or taking on crippling debt.
Palestinian and Syrian refugee communities in Lebanon are particularly hard hit, with 40% of them facing crisis and emergency levels of hunger - IPC Phase 3 and above.
Aisha*, a mother of three children living in northern Lebanon, has been struggling with her youngest child's malnutrition for over a year. He is two years old.
She said: "My children often ask for things we can't provide. None of them are in school, and my husband has been unable to work since an accident left him incapable of doing so. Many essential food items are beyond our reach due to high costs. The only thing we can consistently afford is bread. Fruits and vegetables, which are vital, are now a luxury we cannot bring home. We are simply living day by day."
Since October 2023, the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including 290 children, and displaced 1.2 million. It has worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis in the country. More than half of the 5.5 million population wase already dependent on humanitarian aid for basic needs before the conflict began.
Now, one in four children under five is living in severe food poverty. Education has been disrupted for six years, with the pandemic, political instability, the Beirut port explosion, and teachers' strikes threatening their futures.
Jennifer Moorehead, Country Director for Save the Children in Lebanon, said:
"Children in Lebanon have been hit by shock after shock over the years, and food was already getting further and further out of reach. Now, the recent conflict has taken the country further down a path of severe hunger and poverty. With nearly a third of children facing crisis hunger levels, we are witnessing a generation at risk of long-term damage to their health."
"For children, this crisis could be a matter of life or death. Malnourished children are at increased risk of contracting deadly diseases and of lifelong developmental harm that can bring about multiple health issues."
"Children have fled bombs only to face new threats of hunger and disease. We cannot let this become the new normal."
Save the Children is calling for all signatories to the ceasefire agreement to ensure it is sustained indefinitely and to ensure that every child in Lebanon has access to the assistance and critical services they need to survive and thrive. Humanitarians need to be able to deliver aid and families must be able to receive it – safely and quickly, without obstructions or restrictions.
Save the Children is also calling on all food assistance programmes to specifically address children's food needs, prioritising access to nutritious and diverse diets to prevent irreversible developmental impacts.
Save the Children has been working in Lebanon since 1953. Since October 2023, we've been scaling up our response in Lebanon, supporting displaced Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian children and families. Since October 2023, we've supported more than 175,000 people, including 70,000 children, with child protection services, education programming, shelter, cash, blankets, mattresses and pillows, food parcels, water bottles and kits containing essential hygiene items
