Displaced families extend their hands for donated food beside the tents they use as shelters after fleeing Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon, in Beirut, Lebanon. AP
The figure was released in a joint statement by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and Lebanon's Ministry of Agriculture.
The agencies noted that some "1.24 million people -- nearly one in four of the population analysed -- are expected to face food insecurity" at crisis levels or worse between April and August 2026.
This marks a "significant deterioration" from the period before the war erupted in March, "when an estimated 874,000 people, roughly 17 percent of the population, were experiencing acute food insecurity," the statement said. According to the report, "the deterioration is due to conflict, displacement and economic pressures."
While a ceasefire in effect since April 17 has paused six weeks of the Israeli war on Lebanon, the humanitarian situation remains fragile. Israel has killed more than 2,500 people and displaced over one million. Israeli occupation forces also continue to strike the country despite the truce and occupy territory in southern Lebanon, where Lebanese residents have been forced to leave. Hezbollah has continued to retaliate.
Nora Ourabah Haddad, FAO Representative in Lebanon, noted that "while food insecurity trends show a slight 4 percent improvement from the previous IPC round, 17,000 agricultural households are still facing food insecurity." She added that "small-scale farmers remain among the most affected, with around half reporting a decline in their main source of income due to conflict impacts and a prolonged dry spell."
Anne Valand, WFP Representative in Lebanon, warned of the precarious conditions: "Behind these numbers are families who remain one shock away from slipping back into acute food insecurity. People’s needs remain high, and predictable assistance will be essential to help people meet basic food needs and prevent further deterioration."
Lebanon’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Nizar Hani, affirmed that the findings "clearly demonstrate the scale of the remaining challenges facing food security in Lebanon, despite the positive indicators recorded over the past year." He emphasized that "food security cannot be achieved through assistance alone, but rather through strategic investment in local agricultural production, the protection of natural resources, and the empowerment of rural communities."
The report concludes that "acute food insecurity is likely to deepen without sustained and timely humanitarian and livelihood support," as the invasion's impact on infrastructure and ongoing displacement continue to hinder recovery.
* This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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