Emergency humanitarian assistance in Lebanon

On September 23, 2024, hostilities broke out between Israel and Lebanon, immediately triggering a new humanitarian crisis. The fighting displaced approximately half a million civilians, most of whom fled toward the capital, Beirut. The rapidly deteriorating security situation, coupled with Lebanon’s longstanding economic collapse, made it extremely difficult to meet even the most basic needs of the population. Since the outbreak of the crisis, the Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta has played a central role in supporting internally displaced families and host communities. With the assistance of the Hungary Helps Program, the organization has been providing immediate humanitarian relief—delivering food, medicines, and essential hygiene supplies to those most in need. The program’s overarching goal is to strengthen the resilience of local communities, help families remain in their homeland, and lay the groundwork for the safe return and reintegration of displaced people. In doing so, it contributes to the survival and recovery of war-affected communities, the preservation of social stability, and the launch of reconstruction efforts across Lebanon.