More than 4,500 emergency shelter and household items were airlifted from Maastricht to Beirut today through an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge, as humanitarian needs continue to surge across Lebanon. The shipment comes at a critical time, with more than one million people still displaced nationwide, many forced to flee multiple times following repeated displacement orders.
Families affected by the ongoing military escalation are struggling to access adequate shelter, essential household items and basic services, particularly outside collective sites where assistance remains limited.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), with support from the Government of Luxembourg and the European Union, is facilitating the delivery of part of the emergency items in the shipment, which includes tarpaulins, sleeping mats and kitchen sets for displaced families living in overcrowded and precarious conditions. The distributions will be carried out by IOM teams based on urgent needs identified on the ground.
"As humanitarian needs continue to deepen across Lebanon, families are being forced to flee repeatedly, often with nowhere safe to go and very limited resources to rebuild their lives," said Mathieu Luciano, IOM Head of Office in Lebanon. "This timely support is helping scale up life-saving assistance for displaced communities affected by the escalation. Without sustained international support, conditions risk deteriorating even further in the weeks ahead."
IOM and its partners continue to expand multi-sectoral assistance in Lebanon under government leadership. Since the beginning of March, IOM has provided core relief items, including mattresses, pillows, solar lamps, blankets, and kitchen sets, to more than 27,600 individuals across 47 locations. Through site management coordination interventions, IOM has also facilitated more than 2,700 referrals for people living in non-government managed sites to access shelter, food, cash assistance, and medical care.
In parallel, IOM has supported over 11,700 people with health services, including tuberculosis screening, transportation to primary healthcare centres, and health awareness sessions. In addition, more than 3,800 individuals have received mental health and psychosocial support, while over 6,000 have benefited from protection services.
Migrants remain among the most vulnerable during the crisis, often facing barriers to accessing shelter and humanitarian assistance due to language barriers, limited information and concerns linked to their migration status. Since March, IOM has received more than 700 requests for evacuation assistance. So far, 41 migrants have returned to their countries of origin with IOM's support, while more than 150 cases are currently being processed in coordination with Lebanese authorities and relevant embassies.
While humanitarian needs continue to outpace available resources, IOM warned that major funding gaps are threatening the scale-up of relief efforts. In March, the Organization launched a USD 19 million appeal , as part of the wider UN-Government of Lebanon inter-agency flash appeal, to support more than one million people affected by the crisis.
As hostilities continue to drive displacement in Lebanon, sustained international support remains critical to life-saving operations serving displaced communities across the country.
