Israeli attacks between October 2023 and December 2024 killed over 4,000 people and displaced more than a million in Lebanon [Getty]
Lebanon has secured a $100 million loan from Qatar to support the reconstruction of homes destroyed by Israeli strikes as the country grapples with the humanitarian and economic fallout from the latest war.
The agreement came during a visit by Antoine Habib, chief of the Banque de l’Habitat (Housing Bank), to Doha on Wednesday, where he met Qatari officials, including Sultan al-Ossairy, head of international relations at the Qatari foreign ministry.
The loan, structured over five years, will provide subsidised housing loans ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, with repayment periods extending over 15 years and a two-year grace period.
However, finalising the agreement depends on an upcoming visit by a Qatari foreign ministry delegation to Beirut, as well as Lebanon’s completion of an official assessment of war-related damages.
“We are also working on securing additional funds specifically for homes that were completely destroyed,” Habib told Lebanese media.
The bank is now working on raising the loan ceiling to $100,000 per applicant to better address the scale of destruction, he said.
The latest funding from Doha would supplement an existing $162 million loan from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, which was initially secured in 2019 but faced delays in disbursement.
Lebanon is also in talks with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development for additional credit.
Lebanon’s newly formed government, led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun, faces growing calls for transparency and accountability in reconstruction efforts.
‘Staggering’ scale of destruction
The financial assistance comes amid a deepening crisis in Lebanon, where Israeli attacks between October 2023 and December 2024 killed over 4,000 people and displaced more than a million, according to the UN.
Even after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on 27 November 2024, Israeli attacks have continued, killing at least 58 people – 26 of whom were trying to return to their villages.
According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), tens of thousands of housing units, businesses, and agricultural establishments across Lebanon have been damaged by Israeli attacks.
Israeli airstrikes targeted key civilian infrastructure, including water filtration systems, power grids, schools, and medical facilities, making it nearly impossible for many displaced Lebanese to return home.
A World Bank assessment in November 2024 estimated that war-related damages to physical structures alone amount to $3.4 billion – far exceeding the $750 million in humanitarian aid pledged by donor countries in October.
A Human Rights Watch report released earlier this week found that the destruction in Lebanon was “staggering”.
“Israel’s deliberate demolition of civilian homes and infrastructure and its use of explosive weapons in populated areas are making it impossible for many residents to return to their villages and houses,” said Ramzi Kaiss, a Lebanon researcher at HRW.
“Even if their houses are still there, how can they return when there is no water, electricity, telecommunications, or health infrastructure?”
The report found hundreds of thousands of people were left without access to basic necessities.
In the southern Tyre, an Israeli strike on a water filtration and pumping station on 18 November disrupted water access for 72,000 people.
In Nabatieh, emergency response workers reported that residents in some areas had gone for days without food due to the collapse of supply chains. Schools across southern Lebanon have been severely damaged, with classrooms reduced to rubble and education brought to a halt.
