Escalating violence in Lebanon has displaced 83,800 people from their homes since March 2, including 970 pregnant women, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). This displacement heightens health and protection risks for women and girls, who face increased dangers of gender-based violence even while giving birth under fire. UNFPA calls for urgent action to safeguard their needs and protect civilians, including humanitarian workers, in line with international humanitarian law.
Lebanon has seen an escalation in violence with a wave of intensive airstrikes targeting Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley, displacing 83,800 people since March 2, including 970 pregnant women, according to a UNFPA report. This adds to the 65,000 people still internally displaced from the 2024 conflict, which led to widespread deaths and injuries, mass displacement, and severe damage to civilian infrastructure.
Displacement amplifies health and protection risks for vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, adolescent girls, and people with disabilities. Anandita Philipose stated: “The needs of women and girls do not pause during conflict: women still give birth, even under fire, and they face heightened risks of gender-based violence.”
Disruptions to reproductive health services raise the risk of unintended pregnancies, while pregnant women fleeing violence often encounter life-threatening conditions during childbirth. In one reported case, a woman gave birth on the street while escaping her home. Public schools have been quickly turned into emergency shelters, but many are overcrowded and lack proper sanitation, lighting, and privacy. The absence of gender-segregated sanitation facilities further increases risks of violence against women and girls and restricts their mobility.
The renewed hostilities are straining Lebanon's fragile health and protection systems. Half of the facilities supported by UNFPA in affected areas have closed, and many remaining ones are understaffed as health workers flee the violence. UNFPA is expanding maternal health and protection services, including safe deliveries and emergency obstetric care at primary healthcare centers, and deploying mobile medical units in and around Beirut and Mount Lebanon to aid displaced and host communities.
The agency also provides gender-based violence services for women and girls, such as clinical management of rape and psychosocial support. Distributions of 17,000 dignity kits are underway, with additional reproductive health supplies being procured. However, UNFPA warns that its response is limited by funding shortages, with only 16 percent of its $30 million 2026 appeal funded so far.
UNFPA has joined international calls for diplomacy to prevail and for the immediate protection of civilians, including humanitarian and medical personnel, in accordance with international humanitarian law. Health workers, including midwives, must be able to reach those in need and perform their essential work without fear of attack.
