BEIRUT, 9 March 2026 – Ten days since the first strikes in the Middle East and wider region 83 children have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Public health, and almost 300 children have been killed in the region – the equivalent to 10 classrooms full of children. [1]
 

Over 700,000 people, including over 200,000 children, have been displaced in Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs. [2]

Save the Children is urgently calling for a cessation of hostilities to protect children from further harm.  Save the Children is distributing essential items such as blankets, mattresses, pillows, baby supplies, hygiene items and water to displaced families.

 

Nora Ingdal, Save the Children’s Country Director for Lebanon, said: 

“It is devastating that airstrikes in Lebanon have reportedly caused the deaths of 83 children with another 254 injured – among nearly 300 children killed in the region. These are not just numbers – these are young lives cut short and children whose futures have been forever scarred by war.

 

Airstrikes and forced displacement orders are forcing families to flee in huge numbers. Over 700,000 people have reportedly been displaced in Lebanon, stripping children of almost everything that keeps them safe – their homes, their schools, their communities and the routines that bring stability to their lives. Many have already experienced years of instability and displacement, and this escalation is deepening the trauma they carry.

 

Every war is a war on children, and once again we are seeing them pay the highest price for a conflict they neither started nor had a say in. Wars have laws, and children must be off limits in every conflict. World leaders must act urgently to prevent further escalation. There must be an immediate cessation of hostilities, and all parties must uphold international humanitarian law and do everything in their power to protect civilians – especially children.”
 

Save the Children is responding across the region, with programmes in Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Lebanon, our teams are distributing hygiene kits, baby kits, mattresses and blankets to families newly displaced by the escalation. In oPt, we are maintaining emergency cash assistance where markets allow and keeping mother‑baby areas open to support infant and maternal nutrition. In Syria, we are scaling up child protection, education, water and sanitation programmes and health/nutrition support for people arriving from Lebanon.  

[1] Ministry of Public health Lebanon – UNICEF

[2] Ministry of Social Affairs Lebanon – UNICEF
 

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