By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“If we return to a conflict, like those dark days of 2006, I fear this time could be even worse for the children of Lebanon.”

UNICEF has warned that any further escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah would be “catastrophic” for all children in Lebanon, “even worse” than “those dark days of 2006.”

“On Monday alone, at least 35 children were reportedly killed in Lebanon. This is more than the number of children killed in Lebanon in the past 11 months (previously 22),” Ettie Higgins, UNICEF Deputy Representative to Lebanon, told a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday. “Eleven months in one day. 35 children, in one day – among 492 reportedly killed.”

Higgins said that according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, more than 1,645 people were injured on Monday, including children and women.

“Yesterday was Lebanon’s worst day in 18 years. This violence has to stop immediately or the consequences will be unconscionable.” – Ettie Higgins, @UNICEFLebanon.

More on the impact of the attacks in Lebanon on children. ⬇️https://t.co/lXyF9Se6xy

— UNICEF (@UNICEF) September 24, 2024

“Countless more children are in danger as I speak, exposed to ongoing attacks, displaced from their homes and unable to rely on an overstretched and under-sourced health system,” she stressed.

“If we return to a conflict, like those dark days of 2006, I fear this time could be even worse for the children of Lebanon,” Higgins emphasized.

Economic and Political Crisis

The UNICEF official pointed out that Lebanon has recently been devastated by “a protracted economic and political crisis,” including “the massive Port of Beirut explosion; the impact of COVID-19; and the fifth year of a crippling economic downturn that has sent poverty soaring.”

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Many families “are already at the brink,” she stated, and “now this conflict is making every one of these factors many magnitudes worse.”

Any further escalation in this conflict “would be catastrophic” for all children in Lebanon, but especially families from villages and towns in the south and the Bekaa, in Eastern Lebanon, who have been forced to leave their homes, Higgins pointed out.

She said these newly displaced add to the 112,000 people who have been displaced since October.

“87 new shelters are accommodating the increasing number of displaced people in the South, Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Baalbek – Hermel, Bekaa and the North governorates,” the UNICEF official stated.

Schools Shut

She said schools were closed on Tuesday across the country, “leaving children at home in fear.”

“Their caregivers are themselves afraid of the uncertainty of the situation. This fear cannot be overstated, as the barrage of shelling and air raids continue, and increase, daily,” she said.

UNICEF is “ramping-up our response,” Higgins pointed out, as they prepare to  deliver food, water, and essential supplies such as mattresses and hygiene kits to displaced families, especially those in collective shelters.

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The organization has already procured and delivered 100 tons of emergency medical supplies to hospitals facing severe shortages and supply stock-outs and have more medical supplies set to arrive this week, she explained.

“UNICEF urgently calls for an immediate de-escalation and for all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilian infrastructure and civilians, including children, humanitarian workers and medical personnel,” said Higgins.

This includes facilitating the safe movement of civilians seeking safety, she pointed out.

“Yesterday was Lebanon’s worst day in 18 years. This violence has to stop immediately or the consequences will be unconscionable,” the UNICEF official stated.

(The Palestine Chronicle)