The following text on the humanitarian situation in Beirut following renewed massive Israeli air strikes across Lebanon was written by OIB intern Rani Abi-Haidar, a political scientist at the Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research at Humboldt University in Berlin, and published in German in Zenith on 8 March.

This translation was carried out by Jens Hanssen.

The densely populated area in the south of the Lebanese capital is home to around one million people. Many of them gather on the streets of Beirut, while fear of what is yet to come preoccupies everyone in the country.
 

It is 4 March 2026 – a sunny day in the heart of Beirut. If only it weren't for this war that no one here wanted. It is an absurd reality that those in power and those who would like to be decide the fate of millions of people overnight. The war against Iran, supported by the US and long desired by Israel, is destabilising the entire region. In the midst of it all is the war that is often hidden in the turmoil and unimaginable scale of this war against Iran, a war which blatantly violates international law. Yet the consequences of this hidden war are devastating and impossible to ignore in Lebanon .

On this fifth day of the Israeli army's large-scale war in the south, in Baalbek and the southern suburbs of Beirut, the official Lebanese authorities report almost 100,000 registered displaced persons in Lebanon, over 700 injured and 217 dead. The sunny morning quickly fades as I walk through the streets of the otherwise very busy Hamra district. Since the start of the war, the streets are visibly busier than before. Full car parks and a multitude of cars parked in double rows make the already chaotic traffic even more of an adventure. Many people have fled here. The cars, some sparsely occupied , some packed to the brim, come from the south and the southern suburbs of Beirut into the city centre in search of one of the rare safe shelters. In some cases, their only option is to stay in their cars or in old, broken-down, empty houses , war ruins without windows, without water and without toilets.

The business of hardship
 

In addition to the official emergency shelters opened by the Lebanese government, mostly in schools, some hotels are also opening their doors to displaced persons. Wissam, a well-known regular at the bookshop near such hotels, tells me that they charge 90 US dollars per night. As I leave the shop, I realise that I didn't ask whether this was a flat rate per room or a per capita price.

After crossing the crowded main street in Hamra, I arrive at a popular café, where there are fewer staff and guests than before. It serves as a drop-off point for donations, which are then forwarded to the nearest local accommodation. The staff also distribute home-cooked meals. Preparations for this have been underway since early morning – for part s of Lebanon's population, it is currently the fasting month of Ramadan, and almost at the same time, Lent begins for Christians in the country. Those in charge were very happy about the donation on this day. An exhausted café employee says, “ Hopefully it will be over soon, “ as she packs her things to make her way to the community kitchen.

Not far from the café is another drop-in centre for the many displaced people in Hamra. In addition to cooked meals, there is a small playground for children here. Clothes for those who did not manage to pack anything, and toys for those who do not lose their smiles even in this moment of absolute emergency. Khawla is also there, helping to prepare and cook the food. She fled with her family from Nabatiyeh in the south of the country shortly after the first Israeli attacks. This is not the first time they have found refuge in Beirut. They fled to Beirut during the last war and found shelter with friends. The journey from Nabatiyeh to Beirut usually takes just over an hour. Together on the run, it took them eight to nine hours. There was way too much traffic and way too many people fleeing on the only road connecting the southern coast of the country with the capital.

While the Israeli drone circles loudly and constantly overhead, onions are chopped for the meal. Khawla shows how best to crush the garlic with a mortar. It seems as if she preferred to cook herself, given the many tips she keeps calling out to the two cooks. Staying at home is not an option for her; she doesn't like sitting around. “ We have to help each other! “ she says. She hopes she will be able to return home soon.

Shortly after the last garlic is crushed, it is reported that the Israeli army has issued an evacuation order for the entire region south of the Litani River. There is no time to think about it. Now the toys have to be sorted. An organisation that normally works mainly on environmental issues and brings together several dozen volunteers every day has been given several boxes full of toys. Many of them are incomplete. Sara, a young Lebanese-Iraqi student, packs them into small bags: “ Only one per person! “ she has to tell the children, who are happily examining the packed toy packages. Fortunately, the little ones ‘ joy is contagious.

War and bureaucracy
 

The war has only been going on for three days. But the sense of time is changing. Again and again, people have to remind each other exactly what happened when in the past few days. It doesn ‘ t feel like three days. This may also be because, since the end of the last war in autumn 2024, the fear of a renewed escalation has been a constant companion. Sara was also afraid of another war. Many did not think that Hezbollah would attack Israel again. For Sara, this attack had direct consequences: she recounts how she went to bed late on Monday night and was woken up shortly afterwards by her brother: “ We have to pack our things, “ he called out to her.

Since she lives in a dormitory in Beirut, she was able to get to safety quickly. Her family found refuge with relatives in the mountains north of Beirut. As soon as the airspace reopens, her parents want to return to Iraq as soon as possible. “ Whether we expected it or not, we will never get used to war, “ says Sara as she packs game pieces into a plastic bag.

Our conversation is interrupted by a man who has picked out clothes for his children: “ Do you have a bag? “ he asks. The person in charge of distributing the clothes calls after him: “ Are you registered? “ Registration has already closed. He just wants to get some change of clothes for his children; they weren't able to take anything with them earlier. “ It's not possible without registration. “ The person in charge wants him to come back tomorrow.

Fear and exhaustion
 

Even on the third day of the war, the situation in Lebanon remains extremely challenging. Schools are overcrowded and volunteers are tired. The last war left its mark on everyone in the country. During a break, one of the main organisers of the relief campaign gives an interview. The comparison with the last war, which lasted two months, is obvious. He is asked what differences can be seen. His answer: compared to the last war, there are many more people fleeing at the same time. The bombings and evacuation orders have become more widespread. On the fourth day of the war, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the entire southern suburbs of Beirut. The densely populated urban area is home to approximately one million people. Many of them are gathering on the streets of Beirut, while fear of what is to come is preoccupying everyone in the country.

The evacuation order is likely to result in one of the largest displacements in an afternoon in the country ‘ s history. Shortly after the order was issued, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that Dahyieh would soon look like Khan Younis, a city in Gaza that was destroyed to the last stone during the genocide in Gaza . The opportunity to permanently reshape southern Lebanon and thus the entire small coastal state seems to suit the Israeli state and its military apparatus very well. The scale and intensity of the attacks, as well as the rapid action in the background of the regional war, at least suggest this.