Estonia allocates €120,000 in humanitarian aid to Lebanon

Estonia will provide €120,000 in humanitarian aid to Lebanon after the latest escalation in fighting sharply worsened conditions for civilians already living through years of crisis.

The conflict intensified on 2 March, when the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah fired into Israel, triggering a broad Israeli military response. Since then, the violence has killed large numbers of civilians, displaced more than a million people and placed huge strain on shelters, hospitals and aid services.

The Estonian foreign ministry said the funding would go to some of the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict, including families with children, older people and people with disabilities. Estonia’s decision comes as humanitarian agencies warn that Lebanon’s needs have worsened rapidly in recent weeks and that the country’s health system and emergency response capacity are under severe pressure.

The Estonian foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, said Estonia must continue to support civilians suffering the direct consequences of war.

“Humanitarian assistance helps to address the most urgent needs and supports people’s ability to cope even in the most difficult circumstances,” he said.

Of the total sum, €53,000 will go to the Estonian Refugee Council, which will provide hot meals, food parcels and essential goods to internally displaced people. A further €67,000 will be allocated to the NGO Mondo, which will provide food and other assistance to displaced people in accommodation centres and elsewhere, with a particular focus on women with children.

The ministry said Mondo has worked in Lebanon since 2016 and the Estonian Refugee Council since 2020.

The urgency of the aid is tied not only to the scale of displacement but also to the latest wave of attacks. This week, the United Nations condemned a large Israeli strike campaign in Lebanon that reportedly killed more than 250 people in a single day, calling the casualty figures appalling.

The World Health Organization has also warned that Lebanese hospitals could run out of vital trauma supplies within days after an abrupt rise in mass casualties.

The latest conflict has hit a country that was already in a precarious state. Lebanon has spent years mired in economic collapse, political paralysis and a long-running refugee burden.

Aid agencies say the renewed fighting has therefore struck a population and a state with very limited reserves left to absorb another shock. The UN and the Lebanese government launched a $308.3 million flash appeal in March to fund life-saving assistance through May.