Lives on Hold: Inside Lebanon’s growing displacement crisis

Within this exodus are people like Layla, Adnan, and Nancy. Their stories bridge the gap between tragedy and hope, highlighting the critical humanitarian lifeline provided by the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC), in partnership with the IFRC.Layla’s storyLayla cannot remember the exact date she urgently fled Burj al-Barajneh, a municipality located on the south side of the capital Beirut.“At the beginning of the hostilities, the first strike hit near our home. I grabbed my children and leftin panic.”The streets were chaotic, crowded with people on foot more than in cars.“That first night, we slept on the beach in Ramlet al-Baida. It was very cold. We were exhausted.”After moving from place to place, Layla and her five children eventually found shelter at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut, where they now live.Managed by the Lebanese Red Cross, the Sports city is Lebanon’s largest collective shelter, hosting more than 1,200 displaced people. The Lebanese Red Cross also provides essential aid nationwide—blankets, mattresses, ready-to-eat meals, bread, and safe drinking water—ensuring support reaches those most in need.“We are six. The situation is difficult, but we thank God. I still don’t know if our home is damaged,” she says.Her youngest, four years old, screams whenever she hears drones or airplanes; she also suffers from heart problems.While her older daughter panics during shelling, and her sons remain silent — “but you can see the fear in their eyes”, Leila adds.Despite everything, Layla expresses gratitude: “The Lebanese Red Cross is doing everything they can. Even their kindness and smiles make a difference.”Her requests are simple—hot water for the children, clothes and shoes, and some fresh food beyond canned items. This is her second displacement in less than two years, and she is still waiting—for safety, and the chance to return home.Adnan’s story“My name is Adnan, and I’m fourteen years old. We fled from Shiyah at the start of March.”He now lives with his family of five in the Sports city shelter.“Being in a shelter is better than nothing, and better than living on the streets,” he says.Adnan misses his school and friends; he studies remotely via lessons sent over WhatsApp. When asked what he wishes for, he answers simply: “I hope the escalation ends. God willing.”Nancy’s Story: ‘The Red Cross is my safe place’“My name is Nancy, and I’m twenty years old. I study psychology at the Lebanese University.”Nancy was displaced from Tyre, a coastal city in southern Lebanon.She now works at the Sports city shelter, supporting displaced families on the ground, while her parents are staying at a separate Lebanese Red Cross-managed shelter at Antelias High School.“I help people with their needs because they are living in the same conditions as I am,” she says. “Being on the ground keeps me stable. Without this work, my mental state would be completely shattered.”Having experienced previous displacements, Nancy emphasizes the importance of psychological support, adding: “Being displaced is never easy. It’s very hard to leave your life, your home, your family, friends, and your university—and not know whether they’ll be safe today or tomorrow”.“The Lebanese Red Cross is my safe space. When I put on this uniform, I feel at home and able to help others.”The broader responseThe Lebanese Red Cross is Lebanon’s main provider of ambulance services, operating 125 ambulances, 12 Mobile Medical Units, and 29 health centers (with some temporarily closed due to the security situation).Sixteen Emergency Operations Rooms coordinate with authorities to support shelter operations, monitor displacement, and plan the humanitarian response. To support hospitals, the LRC maintains an emergency blood supply.IFRC support is critical in sustaining these services. With a CHF 2 million allocation through the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund and an extended Emergency Appeal, the IFRC helps ensure ambulance services, health care, blood supply, and relief assistance reach displaced families across Lebanon.The most urgent needs remain shelter, food, emergency medical access, and psychological support, as families arrive with few belongings and no clear timeline for returning home.Through the courage and resilience of people like Layla, Adnan, and Nancy, and the dedication of the Lebanese Red Cross with IFRC support, vital humanitarian aid continues to reach those most in need in Lebanon’s largest shelters.Story by Mey Al SayeghHead of communications for IFRC's Middle East and North Africa region

IFRC strongly condemns the killing of Lebanese Red Cross paramedic Hasan Badawi, while on an ambulance mission

Beirut/Geneva, 13 April 2026: Lebanese Red Cross paramedic Hassan Badawi was killed and another paramedic injured on the evening of Sunday, 12 April, while they were part of a Lebanese Red Cross ambulance team carrying out an emergency medical mission following a previous airstrike in the town of Beit Yahoun, Bint Jbeil district, southern Lebanon.Hassan started volunteering with the Lebanese Red Cross in 2012.The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) strongly condemns this attack on an emergency medical team bearing the protective emblem of the Red Cross.The IFRC extends its deepest condolences to Hassan’s family, loved ones, and Lebanese Red Cross colleagues, while wishing full recovery to the injured.At the time of the attack, the ambulances and their crew were clearly marked with the Red Cross emblem, visible from all sides, and illuminated on the vehicles, in accordance with international humanitarian law. As reported by Lebanese Red Cross, the mission was properly notified in advance through the usual channels, including UNIFIL, to ensure protection and a safe route.Humanitarian workers are not a target.This is the second Lebanese Red Cross volunteer killed while carrying out humanitarian duties since the escalation on 2 March, despite the necessary steps taken to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers.The IFRC reiterates its call that ambulance personnel, medical staff, and Lebanese Red Cross staff and volunteers must be respected and protected at all times in accordance with international humanitarian law.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected]   In Beirut:    Mey Al Sayegh, +961 761 744 68     In Geneva:Tommaso Della Longa, +41 79 708 4367  

National Society Investment Alliance

The National Society Investment Alliance (NSIA) is a pooled funding mechanism, run jointly by the IFRC and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It provides flexible, multi-year funding tosupportthe long-term development of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

IFRC-DREF Insurance

Stand Tall in the face of disaster with IFRC-DREF Insurance. We've developed an innovative insurance mechanism that uses commercial markets to make donor contributions toourDisaster Response Emergency Fund (IFRC-DREF)go even further.

IFRC 2026 Global Plan Executive Summary

The IFRC’s Global Plan 2026 addresses the world’s most pressing humanitarian issues and outlines how the IFRC – as a global network of local actors – is evolving to place more resources and expertise closer to its 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.This Executive Summary covers the scope of the humanitarian needs and the ambition of the IFRC network to reach and support people facing climate risks, disasters, health crises, displacement and other threats to their safety, security and wellbeing.The full IFRC Global Plan 2026 is available here.

Climate of storms: A string of recent super storms expose the human costs of a warming world

Even in places where tropical storms are normal a part of life, the destructive power of Hurricane Melissa and the two recent Typhoons in the Philippines came as a shock to the millions of people who lived through them. When Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, for example, it was classified as a Category 5 — the strongest storm the island nation has ever experienced. Why are tropical storms like Melissa becoming so severe? And why are they becoming so frequent? Perhaps most importantly, what can we do about it? These are some of the questions we tackle through recorded interviews with people on the front lines of the storm's impact and with three special guests who are experts in the field of emergency preparedness, disaster response and the science of climate change.

The volunteer heart: Why are so many so driven to help others? Part 1 in a special 'Year of the Volunteer' series.

With 2026 being designated as the ‘Year of the Volunteers’, Red Vest launches the first in a series of podcasts exploring the key questions and challenges at the heart of volunteering. In this episode, we visit a welcome centre for refugees in Geneva, Switzerland where we explore the question at the heart of volunteering: what is it that drives people to help others, even when there’s no expectation of reward or reciprocation. In future episodes, we examine the critical role local volunteers play in addressing the world’s biggest challenges, the dangers and risks volunteers often face, and how volunteering often opens doors to new challenges and experiences for those who take the initiative to help others.

Fighting hunger through the power of motherhood and fatherhood

This episode Red Vest podcast takes you on an immersive audio journey to remote villages in northern Nigeria. There, you will meet groups of mothers and fathers who are challenging social norms in order to tackle a severe, persistent hunger crisis and improve the health of their communities. We’ll also introduce you to another very important character known as “Tom Brown.” But you’ll have to listen to the episode to learn how Tom Brown is helping to bring thousands of children back from the brink of severe malnutrition.

The Red Vest podcast

Red Vest is an immersive audio and storytelling experience that will take you where no other podcast can: the front lines of today’s most vexing and compelling humanitarian crises and challenges. You’ll experience ocean rescues, meet moms and dads developing long term solutions in hunger-afflicted villages, ride along with emergency first responders, and listen to the voices of people at the forefront of saving lives, finding solutions and making their communities safer, healthier and happier.

New Red Vest podcast episode: The volunteer heart — Why are so many people driven to help others in need?

So far and so cold: How the 'snow-how' of Norwegian Red Cross helps Arctic Communities prepare for emergencies

Office of Internal Audit and Investigation 2024 Annual Report

This document reports on the work carried out by IFRC's Office of Internal Audit and Investigations (OIAI) in 2024. It sets out the mandate of the team, the activities performed, the high level findings of OIAI’s audit work, and the trends emerging from OIAI’s allegation data.

IFRC calls for stronger regional solidarity as humanitarian needs continue to rise in Asia Pacific

Kuala Lumpur, 29 January 2026: As we conclude our Annual Regional Strategic Coordination Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, one message is unmistakably clear: solidarity across our Red Cross and Red Crescent network has never been more vital. Asia Pacific is the most disaster-affected region in the world. Communities across the region are facing more frequent and severe floods, cyclones and heatwaves, rising displacement, and overlapping vulnerabilities. At the same time, humanitarian needs are growing while funding continues to shrink. This widening gap between needs and resources is placing unprecedented pressure on local responders and the communities they serve.Over the past three days, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies came together to reflect on these realities and look ahead. We discussed regional risks, emerging humanitarian needs, and shared priorities for the year to come. We examined how local Red Cross Red Crescent Societies can better prepare and respond to disasters, how the climate crisis impacts are reshaping humanitarian action, and how Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are increasingly leading responses both at home and in support of sister organisations in other countries.What emerged clearly from these discussions was a shared understanding that no single organisation can meet today’s humanitarian challenges alone: National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies must deepen cooperation within our own global network, while also working closely with like-minded partners. Solidarity: practical, operational, and financial, is the foundation of our collective strength. Helping your neighbours is not humanitarianism; it’s a basic decency. Humanitarianism is helping strangers. That spirit of mutual support across borders defines the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and it will sustain us in the years ahead.Despite mounting pressures, the IFRC network remains committed to being local, everywhere. In many crises, Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers and staff are among the first to respond and the last to leave. Increasingly, they are the only humanitarians still present as others scale down. This reality demands that we work smarter, coordinate better, and ensure limited resources are used where they can have the greatest impact.The IFRC’s Global Plan for 2026 reflects this approach. With a funding requirement of 3.4 billion Swiss francs, it prioritises locally led action, strengthens National Society leadership, and channels most internationally mobilised resources to the national level. Investment in local capacity is not only more cost-effective — it is essential for sustainable humanitarian response.What gives me hope is the strength of this region’s National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Several National Societies that once received international assistance are now leading responses in their own countries and supporting neighbours across borders. This solidarity extends beyond the region, with long-standing partner National Societies continuing to show true comradeship by standing with sister organizations when they need to support most. This is humanitarianism at its best — not saviourism, but shared purpose, grounded in dignity, mutual support and respect for local leadership.As we conclude this meeting, we do so with renewed determination. The challenges ahead are immense, but so is the collective strength of our Red Cross and Red Crescent family. In a time of shrinking resources and growing humanitarian needs, solidarity is not just a commitment — it is how we will continue to deliver for communities across Asia Pacific. We call on like-minded partners to stand with us in this shared endeavour, so that assistance continues to reach those who need it most.Alexander Matheou, IFRC Regional Director for Asia Pacific.For more information or to request an interview, please contact: [email protected] Kuala Lumpur: Afrhill Rances +60 19 271 3641

Internal audit and investigations

The Office of Internal Audit and Investigations (OIAI) is the cornerstone of the IFRC’s assurance arrangements. It supports us to uphold our Fundamental Principlesand meet our obligations for good governance, accountability, transparency and integrity.

Global Plan

The IFRC’s Global Plan 2026 outlines the world’s most pressing humanitarian issues and our approach to ensure that each of our 191 National Societies has the support they need to respond to crises and build community resilience.