In the aftermath of the ceasefire signed on November 27, 2024, both the displaced and returnees are struggling to access affordable, suitable, and safe housing. According to the International Organization for Migration, as of May 2, 2025, approximately 90,020 people remain displaced due to the Israeli war on Lebanon. Of the displaced, 73% rely on rental housing, with a small portion still residing in 15 shelter centers.
In return areas such as South Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, landlords have drastically increased rental prices—by 50% to 70%—capitalizing on housing compensation provided to displaced families. In some cases, tenants have been evicted so that landlords could re-rent units at inflated prices. Many displaced people have also lost their livelihoods, making it impossible to afford these new rates or meet basic needs. As a result, some have been forced to return to damaged homes in unsafe conditions, with limited access to water, electricity, and communications. Others have sought refuge in prefabricated homes that are frequently targeted by Israeli military violations.
Since the ceasefire, 144 incidents of gunfire and attacks on returnees have been documented, including assaults on entire residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure. These attacks continue to undermine return efforts and endanger lives.
The crisis highlights the urgent need for state intervention to ensure the right to adequate, affordable, and safe housing—through protective measures, temporary shelter, and regulation of the rental market, especially in urban centers where displacement is concentrated.
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