Entire Region’s Children at Risk as Violence Escalates in Lebanon and Israel

Children in the south of Lebanon are in grave danger of loss of life, physical harm, and severe emotional distress following a ground incursion of the south of Lebanon by Israeli forces, said Save the Children.

On Monday night and early this morning, the Israeli military began its first ground incursion in the south of Lebanon since 2006. This comes after a night of violent air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Attacks across the country have killed at least 95 people and injured 172 in the past 24 hours according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Save the Children calls for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further suffering, ensure safe humanitarian access, and stop the conflict from escalating further across the region.

Jennifer Moorehead, Save the Children’s Country Director in Lebanon, said: “Children and their parents across Lebanon are watching the events of the past hours with pure horror, and they’re telling us they’re now absolutely terrified about what might happen next. Violence has not only escalated in the south, in the last few days there have been repeated strikes in Beirut, showing that nowhere is safe in Lebanon. Parents are scrambling to keep their children safe, in the face of their worst nightmare, something they’ve been fearing for a year now.

“Children will bear the brunt of this conflict for years to come, with dire consequences not only for their physical wellbeing but also for their mental health in the long term. This must stop now.”

The reported firing of missiles at Israel by Iran on Tuesday threatens the safety of Israeli children. Escalating violence is worsening the danger and fear of every child in the region. All parties must cease fighting, stop the conflict from escalating, and support full humanitarian access.

Save the Children has been working in Lebanon since 1953. Since October 2023, we’ve been scaling up our response in Lebanon, supporting displaced Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian children and families, and now have escalated an emergency response throughout the country in 70 shelters. Since October 2023, we’ve supported 71,000 people, including 31,000 children, with cash, blankets, mattresses and pillows, food parcels, water bottles and kits containing essential hygiene items.

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