Press Release
March 6, 2026 • 2 min read
The war in the Middle East is spreading quickly and has led to the fear that we are going to witness large scale movement including crossing borders into already fragile context areas in the Middle East such as Lebanon where evacuation orders have been issued for southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut
Evacuation orders have led to families being uprooted from their homes in search of safety,” Director of Programme and Operations at GOAL, Colin Lee, said, “While emergency food assistance has reached thousands of people inside collective shelters, a critical gap is emerging for displaced families hosted outside formal shelters. This is where our local partners come in. They are the first responders.
Hiba Hamzi, Programme Coordinator of Development Action without Borders (Naaba), GOAL Global’s local partner in Beirut, spoke about the gap in the response efforts on the ground:
“Our focus on distributing food parcels to hosted families is driven by an urgent and clearly identified gap in the current response. Displaced families staying with relatives, in rented rooms, or within informal hosting arrangements remain largely unreached.”
“Before the war these households were living below the poverty line. Food insecurity, debt, and limited income opportunities was a daily challenge. Our food parcel distribution within 72 hours targets the most vulnerable. Those who are not visibly seen. Those behind doors caring for family and loved ones. Those who are the furthest to reach.
“The result of such immediate action is to eradicate meal skipping and portion reduction which over time leads to far greater challenges such as ill health and malnutrition. I am appealing to the people of Ireland, I’m appealing to your kindness and your knowledge and understanding of conflict and resolution, to stand in solidarity with those who are the hardest to reach and give what you can to meet the basic needs of families and communities caught in a crossfire they did not ask for.”
GOAL’s Middle East Emergency Appeal will support the distribution of thousands of food parcel kits and hygiene kits to internally displaced persons across the Middle East to meet the basic needs of vulnerable communities. Additionally, GOAL has been positioning teams on the borders with Turkey and Iraq to assist the influx of refugees from Iran.
To support GOAL’s Middle East Emergency Appeal please visit goal.ie/middleeast.
