4th of March, 2026:
hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have been forced to leave their homes since last Monday due to the Israeli bombardments, particularly in southern Lebanon and the southern suburb of
Beirut.
I saw images on TV of people who were forced to spend the night on the streets or in their cars. This new wave of displaced people comes on top of the aftermath of the 2024 war, which forced
hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to flee.
The violence in Lebanon escalated after Hezbollah carried out attacks on Israel . Most Lebanese, including traditional allies of Hezbollah, condemned these “suicidal” attacks. They feared that
Israel would use the attack as a pretext to carry out bombardments on Beirut, drive the Lebanese population out of the south, and occupy more Lebanese territory as a “buffer zone.”
The Israeli bombardments led to an enormous humanitarian crisis. The Lebanese government made hundreds of schools in Beirut available as temporary shelters for the displaced, as well as in other
regions considered safe . The Red Cross/Red Crescent and other aid organizations are providing, as best they can, food, water, blankets, mattresses, and hygiene kits.
The Lebanese Association Alpha has also mobilized its teams in recent days to provide assistance to displaced communities. Together with several friends in Europe who have lived in Lebanon for
many years and care deeply about the country, we are supporting Alpha’s work and have opened a bank account for emergency relief. The Friends of Alpha Foundation has official ANBI (public benefit
organization) status in the Netherlands.
Stichting Friends of Alpha NL33INGB0006976151.
swiftcode INGBNL2A
ALPHA has updated their website. You now find more information about their mission, the way they work and their projects.
And read here about more news from ALPHA.
Alpha is a Lebanese NGO which supports the displaced civilian populations in besieged areas, in makeshift refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. Starting with youth centers in the south of Lebanon in 1993 they have since than expanded their activities in other areas in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, Besides helping with daily needs of vulnerable families, Alpha also invests in capacity building of local volunteers and in promoting social justice in the region. Recently Alpha started an agricultural project for young people to promote a more sustainable way of living. Read more about Alpha.

Friends of Alpha is a Dutch foundation which supports the activities of the Lebanese NGO Alpha. Read more about us