More than 80 children have been killed since the start of Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the Middle East and North Africa denounced today.
According to recent official data, 83 children have been killed and 254 injured in Israeli strikes against Lebanon since March 2.
The regional director of the UN agency, Edouard Beigbeder, described “shocking numbers” reflecting “the devastating impact” of the “continued escalation of hostilities in Lebanon.”
Beigbeder stressed that “on average, more than 10 children have been killed every day in Lebanon over the past week, and approximately 36 have been injured.”
“Over the past 28 months, 329 children have been killed in Lebanon and 1,632 have been injured,” and “in just the last six days, the number of children killed has increased by 25%, reaching the devastating milestone of 412,” he said.
The UN official noted that “as military strikes continue across the country, children are being killed and injured at an alarming rate and families are fleeing their homes in fear, with thousands of children now sleeping in cold and overcrowded shelters.”
Beigbeder highlighted that “mass displacement in Lebanon has forced nearly 700,000 people, including around 200,000 children, to leave their homes, adding to the tens of thousands already displaced by previous escalations of violence.”
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“UNICEF calls on all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools and shelters, and to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” he said.
A new toll from Lebanese authorities pointed to around 400 deaths in the Israeli offensive, triggered following attacks by the pro-Iranian Shia movement Hezbollah after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the US and Israeli offensive on February 28.
In recent months, Israeli forces have launched air strikes against Lebanon despite the ceasefire reached in November 2024, claiming to be targeting only Hezbollah positions. This week, they advanced to occupy ground positions on Lebanese territory.
