Story from the field: Navigating ceasefire and crisis in Lebanon

Following the large-scale attack from on Lebanon by Israel, DRC Humanitarian Response Roster member Ali Al-Ismale deployed to UNFPA as an Emergency Response Coordinator to Lebanon. Based in Beirut, Ali Supports the operations by planning and coordinating the response and intervention.

With a focus on health and GBV programming, he maintains a clear overview of the affected areas. Ali works with hard-to-reach areas in the South of Lebanon, assisting the most vulnerable groups of the communities.   

Since the 2nd of March, in Lebanon alone, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced, a figure widely understood as an underestimate due to the scale and speed of displacement. Within the first weeks of escalation, over 1,000 people were killed and more than 2,500 injured, as airstrikes hit densely populated areas and critical infrastructure leaving women and children at risk. 

A ceasefire proposed in mid-April created a brief sense of relief, offering humanitarian actors a space to respond to the needs. However, the situation remains highly unstable. Israeli military operations have continued during the ceasefire, with repeated reports of airstrikes and violations. 

In this story from the field, Ali shares his experiences from Beirut and reflects on the reality of the ceasefire, and what it means for the civilians living through it.  

The interview was conducted on the 2nd of June 2026, painting a snapshot of the situation then but as the conflict continues to develop so does the situation on the ground. 

Hi Ali, thank you for speaking with me. I wanted to start by asking how the situation is in Beirut right now, what does your work looks like in this current ceasefire?

Ali: Hi, at a personal level, I think I’m doing well. I’ve actually been in other contexts where the living conditions were much worse, both for us and for IDPs. Not to say that the situation in Lebanon is great. 

A ceasefire was put in place on April 16. However, it didn’t really materialise on the ground. I think the ceasefire has mostly translated into less frequent attacks on Beirut, which tends to attract more international attention compared to what is happening in the south. We have seen through the report made by WHO that the attacks increased after the start of the ceasefire.  When the ceasefire was first announced, and as it has been extended several times since, some people did try to return to their places of origin. But many of them found themselves in areas where there were still attacks and no services available, so they eventually had to leave again and return to displacement sites or stay with host communities. 

In the last few days, there has been renewed focus on Beirut. Just yesterday, there was an evacuation order in the southern suburbs of the city, which led to displacement into other areas considered safer. As of yesterday (2nd June 2026), we had 632 shelters, but this morning we checked and now they are at 635, which indicates the number has increased. 

As Emergency Response Coordinator, I support UNFPA’s emergency planning, coordination, and operational prioritisation during the Level 2 response. I track displacement and service disruptions, contribute to rapid assessments and field missions, and translate emerging evidence into practical recommendations for SRH and GBV interventions. 

And how are civilians experiencing the ceasefire and the situation on the ground right now? 

Ali: What is important to understand is that this situation doesn’t only affect newly displaced people. There are also many who have been displaced since early March, when this escalation began. Some were hopeful that the ceasefire would allow them to return home, but that hasn’t happened. 

A large number of areas in the south remain under ongoing warnings or fall within Israeli-designated military zones, affecting more than 27 localities. This prevents people from returning even when there are no immediate attacks, and it’s not clear how long this will continue. This creates a lot of fear and uncertainty. People don’t know if or when they will be able to go back. At the same time, the south where most displaced people come from, has seen extensive destruction. This has affected all services in the area, and even access for humanitarian actors remains restricted. 

We’re also seeing an expansion of attacks into other areas, including West Beqaa, which we expect will lead to further displacement. There has also been significant targeting of civilians, healthcare facilities, and health workers. Based on WHO reporting, by mid-May there were 161 attacks on healthcare facilities, resulting in the killing of 110 health workers and more than 230 injured. 

Many primary healthcare centres remain closed, and more than 100 pharmacies and medical warehouses have been damaged. This has a direct impact on civilians not only because services are limited, but also because healthcare workers themselves are being displaced, putting even more pressure on an already strained system. 

Can you explain your role as an Emergency Response Coordinator with UNFPA, and what your work looks like on the ground? 

Ali: My role is mainly focused on monitoring the situation, understanding population movements and making sure we have proper analysis in place to guide our interventions and response.  

I work closely with UNFPA teams and partners across both health and GBV programming, making sure we have a clear overview of what is happening in areas where we have access. Recently, we carried out a nationwide rapid needs assessment, covering both displacement sites and host communities, which has been very useful in understanding the level of needs across Lebanon. 

A big part of my work is also field-based. I work closely with other UN agencies and regularly visit displacement sites and hard-to-reach areas. For example, I will be travelling to Saida, which has experienced significant attacks in the past week, to meet with local authorities and other stakeholders. The aim is to understand how needs are changing, identify gaps, and determine where UNFPA should focus its response. 

We also visit shelters and speak directly with displaced people to better understand their needs. Our focus is particularly on sexual and reproductive health and GBV, ensuring that the services we provide are aligned with what people actually need on the ground. 

So it’s really a combination of analysis, coordination, and direct engagement, making sure that our response is both informed and targeted in a very rapidly changing context. 

How are you working to reach women and girls in hard‑to‑reach areas, and what role do local partners play in enabling that access? 

Ali: Access is one of the biggest challenges, especially in the south where there are ongoing attacks and movement is restricted. In many of these areas, humanitarian access can change within hours. 

To address this, we work closely with national partners who are already on the ground, not only due to necessity but as a part of our approach and a way to strengthen the response itself. In some cases, when access becomes too difficult, we provide supplies directly to local hospitals or actors so they can continue delivering services. We further support them training, guidance and technical support, particularly in sexual and reproductive health and GBV, ensuing they have the capacity to deliver services.  

Our focus is on ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health services and protection.This includes providing dignity kits, reproductive health supplies, and safe spaces for women and girls, as well as strengthening referral pathways so they can reach available services. They also work closely with local authorities and ministries, and coordinate access with actors on the ground. This is essential for reaching communities and making sure people, especially women and girls, know where and how to access services. 

So even in hard-to-reach areas, local partners are crucial to ensure that women and girls can still access at least basic support although the challenges remain significant. 

While the importance of your work cannot be underestimated, how does the funding gap affect your ability to carry it out? 

Ali: It’s one of the biggest challenges. As needs increase, we are extending our response, but we only have around 15–16% of the required funding. 

This significantly impacts our ability to deliver services. We are forced to make very difficult decisions about what to priorities. For example, it means that many women will not be able to access midwives or delivery support, and many will not receive dignity kits or baby kits. 

So even though the needs are very clear, especially for women and girls, we are unable to reach everyone, and that remains one of the biggest constraints on the response. 

What would you say has been the most important part, or impact, of your deployment so far? 

Ali: I’m really in love with this mission. Working in this kind of emergency context, I can really feel the impact of what we do. Working closely with partners and the UNFPA team, you can see how important these interventions are, especially for women and girls, and that’s something that makes me emotional. 

What has stayed with me in particular is working with local partners. Many of them put themselves at risk just to reach people and make sure that services are delivered. Seeing that level of commitment really shows how critical this work is. 

This deployment has also strengthened my understanding of how important sexual and reproductive health and protection services are in emergencies. And also how interconnected everything is. access to services depends not only on health programming, but also on shelter, sanitation, community engagement, and coordination. Even though I’ve only been here for a short time, it has already had a strong impact on me. And I’m grateful that I still have more time here, to stay close to the field and continue supporting people as much as we can. 

Looking ahead, what worries you the most about the situation in Lebanon, and what gives you hope? 

Ali: What worries me most is that the conflict becomes protracted. We already have over one million people displaced, and their situation will likely continue to deteriorate, especially with limited funding and restricted access to services. Without a meaningful and lasting ceasefire, it will be difficult to move towards durable solutions, such as allowing people to return home, begin recovery, and restore services in affected areas. 

At the same time, what gives me hope is the level of advocacy and international attention that Lebanon is receiving. There is growing pressure to move towards a more permanent ceasefire, and we hope this can eventually create space for both sides to reach an agreement. 

Ultimately, civilians are the ones paying the price, especially vulnerable groups like women and girls, and there is hope that increased attention will help shift focus back to their protection and needs.