SIDON — Families displaced by renewed Israel-Hezbollah hostilities are struggling to secure food, clothing and shelter in Sidon, Lebanon, as Eid al-Fitr approaches in early May 2026. Lilian Jamaan, displaced with her family in a school-turned-shelter, would normally shop for clothes for her daughter and buy meat and sweets in preparation for the holiday.

"There's no joy for Eid or for Ramadan or for anything," said Jamaan. She and her daughter sleep in the school-turned-shelter while her husband sleeps in a car. Jamaan said she has stopped her fast during Ramadan and will make up the missed days when she returns home.

"We would break our fast, pray, make and drink coffee and I would go to the neighbors or they would come over after iftar," said Jamaan.

More than 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon by strikes by Israel, according to the Lebanese government. Israeli forces have conducted bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, driving many from their homes after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, entering the wider Iran war. The Lebanese health ministry reports that 968 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the renewal of hostilities.

Only about 130,000 displaced people in Lebanon are staying in shelters. Some displaced people are sleeping in tents on the streets or in their cars, while others have found shelter in schools, other makeshift centers, or with relatives.

"A lot of the kids that I at least spoke to, their biggest wish was to just spend Eid at home," said Basma Alloush, spokesperson for the International Rescue Committee. "It could be that many of them just spend Eid in shelters, in displacement."

"There is a dire need for shelter," said Alloush. "People don't have enough clothes. Children fled with no toys or no activities to kind of get their minds off of the war."

The current displacement follows an earlier wave that ended with a ceasefire in November 2024, during which Jamaan's daughter was born. Israel continued launching near-daily strikes in Lebanon after the November 2024 ceasefire, which it said aimed to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding.

"People here have endured crisis after crisis. They've been displaced before. But that doesn't make it any easier," said Carl Skau, deputy executive director and chief operating officer of the U.N. World Food Programme.

The U.N. World Food Programme has provided more than half a million hot meals to displaced people in shelters across Lebanon since March 2. Volunteers, organizations, and businesses are sharing initiatives online to make, package, and distribute hot meals for iftar and to donate essentials such as blankets, clothes, formula milk, and medications.