Save the Children Report Reveals Seven Children Killed or Injured Daily in Lebanon Conflict

A displaced mother and daughter arrange clothes in a public school turned into a shelter in Tyre, southern Lebanon, as new reports highlight the severe toll of the ongoing conflict. According to the Save the Children relief organisation, Israel has killed an average of seven children each day in Lebanon since March.

In a release issued on Wednesday, the group stated that children continue to face grave dangers due to Israel’s ongoing aggression towards civilian infrastructure, despite prior agreements between Lebanon’s government and Israel intended to halt the fighting. Data from Save the Children indicates that over the past six months, the conflict has resulted in at least 4,300 deaths, over 12,000 injuries, and the destruction of between 60 and 70 villages. This toll includes a minimum of 257 children killed and 1,039 injured.

Nora Ingdal, the group’s Lebanon country director, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "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."

At the peak of the hostilities, over a million people experienced displacement in southern Lebanon. Data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs shows that more than 348,800 individuals remain unable to return to their homes despite a ceasefire signed in June.

Cross-border strikes between Hezbollah and Israel began following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. After Israeli forces seized large areas of land in southern Lebanon, both sides established a tentative ceasefire agreement in November 2024. However, Israeli forces have maintained occupation in numerous southern Lebanese areas and repeatedly breached the ceasefire terms. The arrangement largely dissolved after Hezbollah launched a rocket and drone attack against a military base in northern Israel on March 2, responding to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Although the Lebanese government and Israel agreed on a framework in June to end hostilities, Hezbollah has maintained its rejection of the deal unless Israel executes a complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory. An earlier agreement aimed at stopping the conflict was also reached in April.

Save the Children reported that even children who managed to return home in recent months face persistent obstacles in accessing essential services, including schools and hospitals. A nationwide assessment by Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education revealed that 340 schools have suffered damage or destruction over the last six months. Consequently, Save the Children warns that at least 100,000 children face the risk of missing the upcoming school year unless urgent measures are taken to restore Lebanon’s educational facilities.