The October 2023 war between Hezbollah and Israel forced thousands of people to flee their homes. In Ghobairy, a suburb of Beirut, many Lebanese returned to damaged houses and found themselves sharing limited resources with Syrian refugees who had settled there years earlier.
This report looks into the difficult relationship between Lebanese returnees and Syrian refugees in Ghobairy. It is based on 15 interviews with displaced people, business owners, local leaders, and aid workers. The findings point to four main sources of tension: competition over housing, jobs, aid, and the struggle to live peacefully together.
Even with these challenges, the report shows that some cooperation and support still exist between the two communities. It ends with clear policy recommendations to improve the situation, such as better legal protection, more job training programs, and a recovery plan that includes everyone.
