“Since October 4 of this year, at least one child has been killed and 10 injured daily,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said on Thursday and added that “the ongoing war in Lebanon is upending children’s lives.”
The UN agency said “thousands more children who have survived the many months of constant bombings physically unscathed are now acutely distressed by the violence and chaos around them.”
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, 166 children have been killed and at least 1,168 injured since Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire across the border in October 2023. The conflict has escalated since August.
Trauma is prevalent among children, who show signs of emotional, behavioural and physical distress.
“UNICEF teams have met children who are gripped by overwhelming fear and increased anxiety, including separation anxiety, fear of loss, withdrawal, aggression, and difficulty concentrating,” Russell said in a statement.
“Many have disrupted sleep, haunted by nightmares, headaches, and loss of appetite. Deprived of the safety, stability, and support that school provides, many of these children are left without the spaces they need to play, learn, and heal.”
“But the true healing can only begin when the violence ends,” she added.