UNICEF: 300,000 children displaced so far by war in Lebanon

By Lisa Zengarini

The recent dramatic escalation of the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has led to a rapidly deteriorating situation for children with needs outstripping the speed at which humanitarian agencies can respond with lifesaving interventions, UNICEF warned on Tuesday, as it launched an appeal for 105 million dollars over the next three months.

Over 100 Lebanese children killed in crossfire since October 2023

Since the beginning of October 2023, over 100 children have been killed in Lebanon, with more than half of these deaths occurring in the past week alone, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

The UN Children's Fund estimates more than 300,000 children have been displaced from their homes. “The escalation in hostilities is catastrophic for all children in Lebanon”, said UNICEF Representative in the country, Edouard Beigbeder.

In a in press release, UNICEF said that in the past week it has significantly scaled up its operations to address the immediate needs of children and families affected by the crisis.

Scale and pace of need in Lebanon overwhelming

Working closely with the Lebanese government, UNICEF and its partners have reached over 50,000 individuals in more than 200 collective shelters across South Lebanon, Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North Lebanon, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel governorates. UNICEF has supplied families at shelters with drinking water, mattresses, sleeping bags, blankets, hygiene, dignity and baby kits and the provision of health, child protection, nutrition and psychosocial support services.

In September, UNICEF delivered around 100 tons of emergency medical supplies to hospitals and healthcare facilities facing critical shortages. Additional medical supplies, including essential medications and emergency health kits, are set to be delivered in the coming days to support emergency response teams and hospitals treating the injured.

However, the scale and pace of need in Lebanon are overwhelming. “UNICEF requires urgent support to sustain and expand its response,” said Mr. Beigbeder.

While reiterating the call for an immediate cessation of hostilities UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell again called on all parties “to protect children and civilian infrastructure and to ensure that humanitarian actors can safely reach all those in need – in accordance with obligations under international humanitarian law."

Fears for the future

Besides the devastation and cost of lives in a country already struggling with an unprecedented socio-economic and institutional slump, there are also deep concerns for the long-term consequences of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. This was expressed Bishop César Essayan, Apostolic Vicar of the Latin Catholic Church in Lebanon.

"Our fear is not only for today but for our future", he told Sir Catholic agency. “We are creating people who are harboring deep hatred, thus cultivating fertile ground for tomorrow’s wars, “ Bishop Essayan warned. “We are taking hostage the future of many young people who today only dream of revenge tomorrow." This is why, “the war must stop now to prevent it from reemerging tomorrow in an even more violent, more atrocious, more absurd way," he sad. To do this, however, "we must all stop and rediscover our humanity, which we are losing day by day in the name of some unknown interest."