Lebanon continues to face overlapping crises that have significantly deepened the vulnerability of its population following the recent escalation of Israeli war on Lebanon starting March 2026. The crisis in Lebanon is rapidly escalating amid increasing regional conflict, causing a severe and worsening humanitarian situation.
By April 17, Israeli attacks had killed 2,294 people, including 177 children and 100 health sector workers, and injured 7,544 others, among them 704 children and 233 health workers, and more than 1 million have been displaced since 2 March 2026, many seeking shelter in collective sites, informal settings, or with host communities, resulting in growing pressure on community infrastructure, service points, and humanitarian response capacities. This displacement compounds Lebanon’s existing political and economic challenges, further straining public services, infrastructure, and increasing poverty.
This crisis is part of a wider regional context. Across South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region, millions of people are living in internal displacement due to protracted conflict, violence, and disasters, with the risk of further escalation creating new waves of displacement within and across borders.
The impact of the crisis is not gender neutral as shown in previous Oxfam studies such as 2025 Protection Analysis, Gender in IPC and Debt study. Women, girls, men, boys and people from various Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) are likely to experience displacement and access to services differently. Displacement often increases women’s and girls’ exposure to protection risks, including lack of privacy, harassment, exploitation, intimate partner violence, unsafe access to WASH facilities, and heightened psychosocial distress. At the same time, men and boys may face specific pressures linked to income loss, debt accumulation, social expectations to provide for the household, insecurity, mobility restrictions, and negative coping mechanisms.
Against this backdrop, Oxfam in Lebanon undertook a self-reported digital needs assessment (DNA) to generate an intersectional, and evidence-based understanding of multi-sectoral needs of people affected by the war. The assessment targeted beneficiaries of Oxfam previous or ongoing projects and sought to systematically identify, analyze, and prioritize the needs, vulnerabilities, and coping mechanisms of households impacted by the war on Lebanon.
Findings from the assessment will inform Response activities’ design, targeting, and advocacy, supporting evidence-based planning, equitable resource allocation, and strategic influencing efforts.