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1 in 3 children facing crisis levels of hunger in Lebanon

January 20, 2025 at 3:39 pm

Lebanese return to their homes after a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, while the roads were destroyed and buildings were collapsed due to the Israeli airstrikes in Nabatiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon on December 07, 2024. [Murat Sengul/Anadolu via Getty Images]

Nearly one third of children in Lebanon – 29 per cent – began the new year facing crisis levels of hunger, with some pushed into child labour to support their families, said Save the Children after new data showed an almost five per cent increase in child hunger in the past three months.]

New figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – the leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises – come as Lebanon attempts to rebuild Israel intensified its bombing and destruction of Lebanon in September until a ceasefire was signed in late November. Serious damage was caused to agricultural production and supply chains, causing prices to skyrocket. Over one million residents were forcibly displaced as a result of Israel’s bombing campaign.

Save the Children analysis of the report showed that 526,000 children in Lebanon are projected by March to be in “crisis”, “emergency” or “catastrophe” levels of hunger IPC Phase 3 and above – compared to about 504,000 children in October.

For the first time, IPC Phase 4, or “emergency” hunger conditions have been recorded in Lebanon, in the historic city of Baalbek, meaning households are facing high rates of malnutrition and resorting to extreme coping strategies, including child labour, illegalactivities, or taking on crippling debt.

Palestinian and Syrian refugee communities in Lebanon are particularly hard hit, with 40 per cent of them facing crisis and emergency levels of hunger – IPC Phase 3 and above.

“With nearly a third of children facing crisis hunger levels, we are witnessing a generation at risk of long-term damage to their health,” warned Country Director for Save the Children in Lebanon, Jennifer Moorehead.

“Malnourished children are at increased risk of contracting deadly diseases and of lifelong developmental harm that can bring about multiple health issues.”

She added: “Children have fled bombs only to face new threats of hunger and disease. We cannot let this become the new normal.”

Read: US pledges $117M in security aid to Lebanon for implementation of ceasefire with Israel