More than half a million people have been displaced in Lebanon, with 285,000 having left the country, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Saturday.
The conflict-related death toll has surged by 200% in the last two weeks, with displacement rising by 385%. Since September 23, Israel has ramped up missile strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, following attacks by Hezbollah in solidarity with Hamas after the October 7 conflict in Gaza.
As of Thursday, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 1,699 people had been killed and almost 10,000 injured in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, according to OCHA. Additionally, 77 healthcare workers have lost their lives, 28 of them in a span of 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that 541,527 people have been displaced as of Thursday, with 285,000 fleeing Lebanon, nearly 40% of whom are Lebanese. Many have fled by land, particularly to Syria, where the UNHCR has registered 185,000 arrivals. Some 4,000 Lebanese have also reportedly sought refuge in Iraq.
