Lebanon: Amel Situation Report #2: Supporting all populations affected by the crisis- March & April 2026

# Lebanon’s Humanitarian Lifeline at Risk as Amel Report Reveals Gaping Response Gaps May 18, 2026

On May 18, 2026, humanitarian data platform ReliefWeb published the second 2026 situation report from Amel Association International, the Lebanon-based nonprofit that has delivered cross-sector aid to communities navigating the country’s compounding crises for more than 40 years. The report, covering aid operations across March and April 2026, lays bare both the scale of unmet need in Lebanon and the fragile state of the humanitarian response as cross-border tensions, economic collapse, and systemic underfunding converge.

Lebanon’s interlocking crises have deepened steadily since 2019, when a nationwide economic collapse saw the Lebanese pound lose more than 95% of its pre-crisis value, pushing more than 80% of the population below the national poverty line. The 2020 Beirut port explosion, which killed more than 200 people and destroyed an estimated 300,000 homes along with critical public infrastructure including multiple central hospitals, crippled the country’s already fragile public health system, which has since struggled with chronic staff shortages, supply chain disruptions, and limited capacity to deliver basic care. The country also hosts more than 1.5 million registered Syrian refugees, roughly 180,000 Palestinian refugees, and thousands of Lebanese residents displaced by repeated rounds of cross-border conflict along the southern border with Israel. Tensions in the region escalated sharply in early 2026, leading to widespread damage to residential and public infrastructure in southern Lebanon and densely populated neighborhoods in the Beirut metropolitan area, and displacing an additional 120,000 Lebanese and Syrian residents since January 2026, per UN displacement tracking data.

Across March and April, Amel reached 101,581 unique individuals across eight of Lebanon’s governorates, operating 19 fixed primary healthcare centers, 14 mobile medical units, and programming at 187 sites including 110 collective shelters for displaced populations. The organization delivered 51,399 total health services over the two-month period, including 30,982 primary healthcare consultations for conditions ranging from chronic disease management to acute injury care. Multi-sectoral support extended to 20,329 people through protection activities focused on gender-based violence prevention and response, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and child protection services; 19,780 children accessed education and recreational programming designed to mitigate learning loss and trauma associated with prolonged displacement; and 11,957 individuals received relief items including food parcels, hygiene kits, and winterization supplies. The report also notes that 1,748 people with specific needs, including persons with disabilities, older adults, and survivors of gender-based violence, were identified and prioritized for targeted follow-up support.

The report outlines stark barriers to scaling this response in the coming months. Critical funding gaps threaten the continuity of existing programming, while damage to Amel facilities in the densely populated Beirut neighborhoods of Haret Hreik and Borj El Brajneh, as well as the southern town of Khiam, has cut off access to care for thousands of residents in those areas. The organization notes that current resource levels only allow it to reach roughly 100,000 people per month, a figure that falls far short of the estimated 300,000 vulnerable individuals across its operational areas who require sustained humanitarian support.

These gaps reflect wider systemic challenges facing Lebanon’s humanitarian response ecosystem. United Nations data shows humanitarian funding for Lebanon declined by 40% between 2023 and 2026, driven by donor fatigue and competition for resources amid overlapping global crises including the war in Ukraine, drought in the Horn of Africa, and the ongoing humanitarian emergency in Gaza. Local organizations like Amel, which have longstanding community trust and operational capacity in hard-to-reach areas, have been disproportionately affected by these funding cuts, as many international donors prioritize larger international NGOs for grant distribution. Without targeted funding to repair damaged facilities and expand mobile and fixed service capacity, humanitarian organizations warn that vulnerable populations including low-income Lebanese, refugee communities, and displaced persons will face rising risks of untreated chronic and acute illness, gender-based violence, child exploitation, and long-term psychosocial harm.