U.N. launches revised Lebanon flash appeal for $331.5 million as Gaza sanitation and mine-action needs grow

A United Nations spokesperson said the resident humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza, launched a revised flash appeal calling for an additional $331.5 million to cover June through August. The spokesperson said the new request brings the total flash appeal for March through August to nearly $640 million to sustain life-saving efforts for roughly 1.4 million people.

The spokesperson said donors have provided about $186 million so far and that U.N. partners have reached approximately 680,000 people to date, but that humanitarian needs are rising as essential services — including health care and water systems — continue to be severely impacted and about 1 million people remain displaced.

On the humanitarian front in Gaza, sanitation teams reported that solid-waste management continues to rely on temporary dump sites located near where displaced people live. Partners transferred about 100,000 cubic meters of waste from the Firas market to a newly identified dump site in Abu Jarad but cannot fully develop or effectively utilize that site without geotextiles (specific fabrics) that have only recently been approved for procurement and are now in the procurement phase. The spokesperson also said humanitarian and mine-action teams lack approvals to bring into Gaza the equipment needed to dispose of explosive ordnance and to remove waste and rubble, constraining safe clearance and recovery efforts.

The United Nations called for sustained international support to protect civilians, restore basic services, and enable delivery of assistance in affected areas.