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last time A government official from Lebanon sat down to reflect on the national digital infrastructure, and no one expected another war with Israel. That’s how it’s always been.
“We were not prepared for this,” says Kamal Shehadeh, Lebanon’s Minister of Technology and Artificial Intelligence and Minister of Displaced Persons. “I have to admit we didn’t expect something of this magnitude to happen.”
On March 2, 2026, Israeli evacuation warnings began appearing on phones throughout southern Lebanon. Days later, similar alerts reached residents of Beirut’s densely populated southern suburbs, urging them to leave as strikes approached.
Within minutes, families were moving. within days, Nearly 1.3 million people– Nearly 1 in 5 of the country’s residents – were Forced displacement. Schools converted into shelters were filled beyond their previous capacity. People were sleeping in cars along the coastal road north of Beirut. Somewhere in a government office, a small team began updating a database.
A woman sits next to a tent as displaced families struggle to survive on the streets of Beirut, Lebanon.Murat Singul; Getty Images
This platform is currently the closest thing Lebanon has to a true view of its humanitarian crisis. It tracks food parcels, fuel supplies, hygiene supplies and medicines. He tells government officials about the shelter in the area that is suffering from a shortage of blankets. It is, by global standards, modest technology. By Lebanese standards, it may be the most effective government program in the country.
While the United States, Israel and Iran negotiate, Israel excluded Lebanon from the ongoing two-week ceasefire. Local media reported up to 100 Israeli air strikes on Lebanon within 10 minutes on April 8, a clear indication that forced displacement, unrest, and chaos would continue in the country.
A platform built on recurring warfare
“We are able to monitor where these goods are stored and also what is actually provided to the shelters,” Shehadeh says. “Today we can track every food parcel delivered, so we have a clear idea of what is needed.” Flour, sugar, fuel, butane and medicine. The system has a list.
The Ministry of Social Development runs the shelters. Shehadeh says that the Ministry of Economy monitors supply lines, “making sure that the country has good stocks and that imports of basic goods continue.” Technology brings it together. The Disaster Relief Management Unit, housed in the Prime Minister’s Office and tested during the 2024 war and the 2020 Beirut port explosion, is working well.
What makes the current outbreak different from previous crises is coverage and speed. more than 667,000 people registered on the government’s online displacement platform in one week – an increase of 100,000 in just one day. The government set up mobile registration, verification teams, and financial disbursement channels within days. “We made it very easy for them to sign up,” he says. “There is a team of volunteers, but there is also a team of professionals who will check and make sure this is really an (internally displaced person).”