As an organisation advocating for migrants and refugees, we acknowledge the deep distress felt locally by the mounting death toll in Lebanon from Israeli attacks.
While ECCV’s focus must be local, we know that overseas conflicts are never distant for our multicultural communities. Aside from the loss of life, some 1 million people in Lebanon have been forced from their homes recently.
For Lebanese-Australian communities in Victoria, the recent bombardments are not distant news – they directly affect their family and friends.
The three local government areas with among the largest number of Lebanese Australians are in northern Melbourne. Hume, Merri-bek and Whittlesea are all home to significant populations.
Alongside numerous civil society organisations, we know the only pathway is a permanent peace and urge the ceasefire be extended to Lebanon.
In our recent submission to the Federal Government, ECCV called for an increase to Australia’s humanitarian intake, including adding 5000 refugee places for people displaced by the latest conflicts in the Middle East.
This would be consistent with the Australian Government’s response to other recent conflicts, notably Ukraine and Afghanistan.
The Witness to War National Multilingual Hotline (1800 845 198) offers free, confidential support for local people and communities affected by overseas conflict.
You can read the ECCV statement, published on 9 April 2026, on our social media channels:
