Lebanon Returns Mask a Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

Around 860,000 people are reported to have returned to their areas of origin after more than one million people were internally displaced at the height of the conflict.

Hundreds of thousands of people have returned to their communities in Lebanon after months of airstrikes and insecurity, yet damaged homes, disrupted basic services and continuing attacks mean many families are still living with the realities of displacement, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

Around 860,000 people are reported to have returned to their areas of origin after more than one million people were internally displaced at the height of the conflict. About 360,000 people remain displaced, including at least 22,000 staying in collective shelters, while many others are living with relatives or squeezing into overcrowded rented accommodation.

Fresh Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon over the weekend forced hundreds of families to flee north despite declared ceasefire arrangements, adding another layer of uncertainty for communities already struggling to decide whether returning home is safe.

Returning home does not always mean displacement has ended

For many Lebanese families, being counted as a returnee does not mean they have moved back into a functioning home. Some have returned only as close as possible to their towns and villages because their properties are damaged, covered by debris or located in areas where security conditions remain uncertain.

Families are making repeated "go-and-see" visits to check their homes and neighbourhoods before deciding whether they can stay, while others regularly move between their places of displacement and their communities of origin. This constant movement has made the difference between being displaced and having returned increasingly difficult to define.

Southern Lebanon and the Bekaa continue to face risks from military activity, movement restrictions and explosive remnants of war. These dangers can prevent residents from reaching homes, farmland and essential infrastructure even when the intensity of fighting has fallen.

The approaching school year is creating another challenge because many collective shelters are located inside public schools. As these shelters are gradually consolidated, municipalities in conflict-affected communities are calling for temporary housing that would allow displaced families to remain near their towns instead of being forced to move again.

Damaged infrastructure leaves families without basic services

Destruction extends well beyond individual homes, with water networks, electricity systems, health facilities, schools, agricultural land and other community infrastructure damaged across conflict-affected areas.

More than 700,000 people are reportedly affected by damage to water infrastructure in parts of southern Lebanon, showing why physical return alone cannot be treated as a sign that the humanitarian emergency has ended. Families may reach their communities only to discover that basic services needed for everyday life remain unavailable or unreliable.

Lebanon's government has developed a National Framework for Return, Early Recovery and the Restoration of Essential Services covering unexploded ordnance removal, debris clearance, infrastructure repairs, housing rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Humanitarian organisations, including UNHCR, are supporting affected communities through shelter assistance, financial aid, protection services, psychosocial counselling and case management. The scale of destruction means these forms of assistance may be required well after families first return to their areas.

Funding shortages threaten recovery and humanitarian assistance

Aid agencies are struggling with severe funding gaps at a time when displaced families and returnees need support to repair homes, restore livelihoods and rebuild essential infrastructure.

The revised Lebanon inter-agency Flash Appeal is seeking US$639.9 million but is only 48 per cent funded. Around US$94.2 million of the appeal is intended for UNHCR relief activities, while the refugee agency says its wider Lebanon operation has received only 24 per cent of the US$472.3 million required for 2026.

UNHCR says Lebanon cannot yet be considered to have entered a post-crisis period because displacement continues, security risks remain and many communities lack the conditions needed for safe and lasting returns.

For families trying to rebuild their lives, recovery will depend on more than getting back to their hometowns. Homes need repairs, unexploded ordnance and debris must be removed, public services need to function again and communities need enough security to remain without facing another round of displacement.