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As conflict subsides, 400,000 people return home in Lebanon
Some 400,000 of approximately 1 million Lebanese displaced by Israel-Hezbollah clashes have returned to the south following a lull in fighting. However, many whose homes are destroyed or uninhabitable remain in shelters.
After four months of Israel-Hezbollah clashes in Lebanon, a lull in fighting has allowed some 400,000 internally displaced people to return to their homes in the south. Government officials said more returns are expected in the coming week.
Lebanese Minister Hanine El Sayed said that since March, about 1 million people have been forced to leave their homes, adding that many families whose homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable remain in temporary shelters or evacuation centers.
Approximately 40 percent of the displaced have so far returned to their towns and villages. The number of people staying in collective shelters has dropped from a peak of 37,000 to 13,000.
El Sayed stated that some shelters will remain open for families unable to return, and that aid programs, including emergency cash assistance, will continue. She also noted that the number of shelters has been reduced from a peak of 692 to 479, and new centers have been opened in Nabatieh for those wishing to stay near their homes.
Challenges of return
For many families, however, returning does not mean a return to normal life. Households often face damaged homes, limited electricity and water, destroyed businesses, and lost livelihoods, while the government works to restore basic services and expand cash aid, rent support, and employment programs.
"Many people in the south are very attached to their land and want to return, and rightly so," El Sayed said.
The government estimates that Lebanon needs billions of dollars to rebuild damaged homes and infrastructure, but currently lacks these funds. Nearly 90,000 housing units were completely or partially destroyed in the recent clashes, adding to the widespread damage from previous conflicts.
El Sayed stressed that the overall figures conceal the gap between those who can return and those who remain displaced. "These are families who can return to at least a minimal situation. That others have not returned means they are in a much more difficult situation," she said.
Officials expect more returns in the coming days and hope to better assess the number of families who will not be able to return at all within about a week. "After a week we will really understand the scale of the problem: how many people absolutely cannot return because their homes are completely damaged," El Sayed said.
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