Despite a so-called ceasefire announced in June, the crisis for children in Lebanon is far from over with about 348,800 people remaining internally displaced across Lebanon and uncertainty over whether they can return home and about their futures.
Since 2 March, at least 4,348 people have been killed and 12,300 injured by Israeli forces' airstrikes. The toll includes at least 257 children killed and 1,039 children injured.
This includes at least 355 people killed in Israeli airstrikes since the ceasefire announcement on 19 June, according to the Ministry of Public Health. The latest victim was a child who died on Monday from a cluster bomb explosion left behind by Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
In Southern Lebanon, the heart of the displacement crisis, residents from about 55 border villages continue to face restricted access because of ongoing Israeli military operations. Many of those people have witnessed the destruction of their villages and homes. For families who made it back to their villages, life is far from normal. Many have returned to damaged or destroyed homes and infrastructure, while children continue to face barriers to all forms of essential services, including schools and hospitals.
At least 100,000 children are at risk of missing the next school year without urgent action to restore Lebanon’s schools. A nationwide assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education has found that 340 schools have been damaged or destroyed in the past six months.
The damage to water infrastructure has affected more than 700,000 people in Southern Lebanon, and more than 41,000 housing units in South Lebanon have been damaged or destroyed.
Nora Ingdal, Country Director for Save the Children in Lebanon, said:
“It is heartbreaking to see children and youth suffering while they are still in limbo, abandoned to their fate by the international community. In my direct conversations with the children, I can sense the sadness and pain in the details of their stories. They miss their homes and friends, and they are unable to restart their lives when they are displaced.
“Families who have been displaced must be able to return safely and with dignity to their homes. They should not have to choose between remaining displaced indefinitely and returning to communities where their homes have been destroyed, essential services are unavailable, or their safety cannot be guaranteed.
“Lebanon needs a definitive, lasting and comprehensive ceasefire. Children cannot continue to live under the threat of further violence while waiting for the conditions necessary to rebuild their lives. The longer the protracted conflict goes on - and the longer children are out of school, the greater the chance that they will not be able to return
“All parties to the conflict must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the protection of children and other civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian personnel.
The international community must not allow continued attacks, displacement, restrictions on return and the destruction of civilian infrastructure to become the new normal for children in Lebanon”
Save the Children is calling for recovery efforts to prioritise children’s needs and ensure that reconstructed schools, healthcare facilities, water systems and other essential services are safe, accessible and inclusive, including for children with disabilities and other children who may face additional barriers.
Save the Children has worked in Lebanon since 1953. In collaboration with partners and local authorities, we are distributing essential items in hard-to-reach areas in the south, provide psychosocial support for children, educate families and children about the risks of unexploded ordnance, ensure access to safe water and sanitation facilities, and distribute essential items for those displaced.
MEDIA CONTACT: media.team@savethechildren.org.au