Loss and Uncertainty for Children in Lebanon

Hundreds of thousands of children and their families have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict in Lebanon. UNICEF is there to provide immediate aid, but much more help is needed.

“We could see rockets above us. “We saw them running,” says Zeinab, recalling the moments after she and her children ran away from her aunt’s house. “We saw them and kept running.”

Zeinab is one of more than a million people displaced by violence Sharp escalation of hostilities in Lebanon. It is estimated that approximately 190,000 people remain in shelters across the country, while hundreds of thousands more seek safety with their families and friends. But many people, like Zeinab and her children, have no choice but to sleep on the streets.

“Our house in Beirut is gone. “There is no home anymore,” he says.

“Our house in Beirut is gone. There is no home anymore.”

After escaping Beirut, the family first took refuge in the northern city of Tripoli. However, after being stuck in a single room with 17 people for several days, Zeinab decided to return to Beirut with her children. He now lives on the sidewalk with his children.

“We have been here for ten days,” he says. “Of course we’re not happy sleeping here. But we had no choice.

“My sister and I went looking for a blanket to borrow from people,” Zeinab continues. “Someone lent us two blankets and we slept on them. We stayed up until 3 a.m. looking for blankets.”

Children remain in the crosshairs

As the situation worsened from mid-September to October 22, 2024, more than 1,088 children were injured and 155 children were killed. UNICEF Lebanon’s latest situation report.

In Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon, 2-year-old Ivana and her 7-year-old sister Rahaf were playing on the balcony of their house while their mother, Fatima, was preparing breakfast when an air strike hit a nearby building. the house is on fire. Both girls suffered serious burns.

“I had to throw my daughters out of the window into the garden to save them from the fire. It was the only way to escape.”

“I had to throw my daughters out of the window into the garden to save them from the fire. It was the only way to escape,” says Fatima, still amazed at how quickly she was able to act in such a terrifying moment.

Rahaf remained in hospital for 20 days before being released. Ivana’s treatment is still continuing at Geitaoui Hospital. Doctors assured the family that their burns would heal with time. He’s already had skin graft surgery and talks every day to his sister Rahaf, who calls to check on him.

UNICEF and partners rush to meet the needs of children caught in a growing crisis

UNICEF teams on the field and working around the clock with partners to help children and families meet some of their basic needs.

During the first month of mass displacement, UNICEF supported 584 collective shelters, hosting 101,492 internally displaced people, with relief supplies and services, including access to water, hygiene, health and child protection.

UNICEF’s support for children and families in Lebanon includes:

• Supporting public water utilities serving 370,000 people
• Providing bottled and trucked water and hygiene kits
• Connecting displaced families with basic health services
• Identifying injured children and providing them with critical protection services
• Distribution of medical supplies to help pregnant women and injured children

Every displaced child has a story

As the conflict worsened, the psychological impact on the population, especially children, also increased. Almost every child in Lebanon has been affected in some way.

Many fell victim to bombings, losing loved ones, homes or access to education.

An estimated 400,000 children were forcibly removed from their homes. Many remain in makeshift shelters hoping for some form of safety; some in public schools, some with anyone who can offer a roof and a place to rest. Some families have no choice but to set up tents on the beach or on the street.

Every displaced or injured child has a story of loss, a life disrupted, and uncertainty about what lies ahead.

9-year-old Ghazal says realistically, “If it is my destiny to die, I will die; if I have to live, I will live.” He fled southern Lebanon to Beirut and remembers how simple life was; being able to play with his sibling and friends, take a shower, have dinner, and sleep peacefully.

Ghazal is especially worried about his grandmother. “How do I know that he has passed away now, God forbid? What would I do then?”

He also worries about the school he left behind.

“I hope my school stays safe and doesn’t get a single scratch because after all, this is my school and when I grow up, that’s where my future will be.”

“I hope my school stays safe and doesn’t get a single scratch because after all, this is my school and when I grow up my future will be there,” says Ghazal.

“I just don’t want to play. “I want to learn and work.”

Eleven-year-old Abbas was hit by shrapnel in a missile attack near his home in southern Lebanon.

“I went out to see what was happening and suddenly I looked at my hand and saw it was covered in blood,” he recalls.

“The sound was incredibly loud. It broke our windows, destroyed everything.”

“The sound was incredibly loud. It broke our windows, destroyed everything.”

Abbas was raising pigeons at home and was worried about leaving them without food. He didn’t have time to take care of them or even pack some clothes while he was running away. “I don’t know if they’re alive or not,” he says. “I think about them every day and wish I could go back and check on them.”

13-year-old Mohammed also misses home and hopes the war will end soon so he can go back to school. He was forced to leave after heavy bombing near his home. “I was scared as if the building was going to collapse on us,” he says.

Despite everything, Muhammad is still hopeful.

“I say don’t be afraid. Because when the war is over, we will return to our homes and schools.”

“I say don’t be afraid. Because when the war is over, we will return to our homes and schools.”

Not every child on the streets of Lebanon was removed from their home; Some children were born amidst the chaos and destruction of this conflict.

Farah sits on her newborn daughter’s lap in a makeshift tent in downtown Beirut. She gave birth here after having to flee her home.

“I am very afraid for my children. And for this child. “And I’m afraid of this place,” he says.

“Look at this tent we live in. The sky is cloudy now, where will I take it if it rains?”

Humanitarian needs are increasing day by day

UNICEF’s emergency response continues, but the needs are great. Civilian infrastructure has suffered, along with increasing cuts in public services. Approximately 1.2 million people were affected by the conflict. Tens of thousands of families live under difficult conditions. Thousands of people remain on the streets of Lebanon without adequate shelter, bedding or clothing.

Seven-year-old Nathaly and her family have been living in a shelter since they were forced to flee their home.

“Every day I hear the frightening sound of airplanes and I ask my mother about it.”

“Every day I hear the frightening sound of airplanes and I ask my mother about it,” says Nathaly, adding that she is worried about her family being killed and being left alone.

“This is not true,” he says.

“I got to stay with my family, sleep next to them, and keep hugging them because it’s the best thing.”

UNICEF works with partners around the world to ensure that children are healthy, educated, protected and respected so they can grow up and reach their full potential. Your contribution will make a real difference. Please donate today.

This story is adapted from unicef.org