UNICEF: 1,317 children killed or injured in Lebanon

261 children have been killed and 1,056 injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the escalation began in March, The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday, warning of the impact of the worsening crisis on the future of children and young people.

In a report titled An Enduring Nightmare, UNICEF said about 436 schools had been damaged or destroyed, putting nearly 100,000 children at risk of dropping out of education. It added that 86 teachers had been killed or injured.

UNICEF said the economic and humanitarian crisis was pushing more families into being unable to meet basic needs, with four in five families in Lebanon struggling to provide them.

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The report said 22 per cent of surveyed families reported that their children had gone to bed hungry during the previous two weeks.

Meanwhile, 31 per cent of families said they had been unable to provide their children with necessary healthcare because they could not afford it.

UNICEF also warned of the psychological impact of the crisis on children, saying about 770,000 children in Lebanon had experienced psychological distress over the past six months. 

UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Marcoluigi Corsi said children and young people were bearing burdens “no child should have to carry”, warning that if the crisis continued without urgent and sustained action, it could have long-term effects on an entire generation.

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