At least 59 children killed or injured in Lebanon over past week: UNICEF
Beirut, May 14 : At least 59 children were reportedly killed or injured in Lebanon over the past week despite a ceasefire agreement, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said, warning of deepening physical and psychological harm among young survivors.
According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, at least 23 children have been killed and 93 injured since the ceasefire took effect at midnight between April 16 and 17, bringing the total number of child casualties since March 2 to 200 killed and 806 injured.
On Wednesday alone, at least 33 people, including women and children, were killed in an escalation of Israeli strikes across southern and central Lebanon, according to Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center and local media.
"Children are being killed and injured when they should be returning to classrooms, playing with friends, and recovering from months of fear and upheaval," said UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder.
Beigbeder added that despite the agreement intended to halt violence, children continue to suffer repeated attacks and trauma that could have lifelong consequences, Xinhua news agency reported.
UNICEF also warned that more than 770,000 children in Lebanon are experiencing heightened psychological distress due to repeated exposure to violence, displacement, and loss. Symptoms among children and caregivers include fear, anxiety, nightmares, insomnia, and hopelessness.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has said that a series of drone incidents near and inside its positions in southern Lebanon had endangered peacekeepers and damaged UN facilities.
UNIFIL said in a statement on Wednesday (local time) that several presumed Hezbollah drones detonated on Monday and Tuesday near its headquarters in the southern town of Naqoura, where Israeli soldiers could have been present.
According to the statement, three drones exploded between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. local time on Monday within meters of the headquarters, followed by another drone explosion in the same area on Tuesday at around 5:20 p.m., reports Xinhua news agency.
Minutes later, another drone detonated inside the headquarters, damaging several buildings. No injuries were reported.
UNIFIL said it is increasingly concerned about the activities of both Hezbollah members and Israeli soldiers near UN positions, adding that it had protested the presence and movement of Israeli troops and vehicles near its headquarters, as well as the activities of non-state actors near UN positions.