World Vision welcomes ceasefire as glimmer of hope, but warns humanitarian situation remains catastrophic

Over the month of October, World Vision provided humanitarian support to 53,000 people in 35 villages of the West Bank as part of our emergency response.

Lebanon is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis following 14 months of escalating violence. Over 4,000 people have been killed, including 290 children and 790 women, while nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced. Despite a 60-day cessation of hostilities, fragile security conditions prevent over 160,900 people from returning home. Many remain in temporary shelters, facing destroyed infrastructure and limited access to basic services. Nearly 100,000 homes have been fully or severely damaged, rendering thousands homeless and exacerbating vulnerabilities among at-risk populations.

To repsond to the humanitarian crisis affecting the West Bank, World Vision launched an emergency operation on the 13th of October 2023. Over the past year, we have collaborated with over 300 volunteers and 250 village councils to deliver life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable. To date, we have supported more than 233,000 people.

In this issue of the West & Central Africa Newsletter, we highlight the remarkable progress accomplished across our programmes throughout the year 2024, looking back on the trials and celebrating the triumphs.

In the last ten days, the conflict in Lebanon has seen intensified attacks across the country. On World Children’s Day, Lebanon mourned the tragic killing of 200 children since the escalation, underscoring the profound human cost of this crisis. Negotiations have resumed in an effort to reach a ceasefire. At the moment, no agreement has been confirmed, and hostilities continue unabated. Amid these negotiations, heavy bombings have escalated to unprecedented levels. Recent airstrikes targeted highly populated neighbourhoods without prior evacuation orders in central Beirut—Basta, Mar Elias, and Zokak el-Blat—areas sheltering internally displaced families. These strikes killed 48 people, injured over 150, and displaced hundreds of families for a second time. In southern Lebanon, entire villages have been destroyed, leaving critical infrastructure—water, sanitation, and electricity systems—completely inoperable. Heavy bombings in Tyre, Baalbek, Hermel and Beirut’s suburbs have further deepened the destruction. Economic and physical damages are now estimated at $8.5 billion, and even with a ceasefire, it will take at least a year of repairs before families can return home. Over 170,000 people face imminent job losses due to the destruction of infrastructure and livelihoods. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, as of 24 November, 3,754 people have been killed, including at least 230 children, and more than 15,626 have been injured.

World Vision has introduced a new training programme aimed at bolstering mental health support for adolescents in West Bank. This initiative marks the first time participants in the West Bank have been trained on the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) intervention, an innovative, evidence-based approach derived from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

World Vision International and the Teacher Creativity Centre have launched the project "Safe Access to Inclusive, Dignified Education and Protection Services for Children in Crises”, with financial support from the European Union.