- On average, eleven children have been killed or injured every 24 hours in Lebanon over the past week, the U.N.’s children’s agency said.
- In total, 77 children have been killed or injured in the past seven days, UNICEF said, based on figures from Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
- The U.N.’s World Health Organization also said on Friday that the expansion of military activity is causing serious health concerns for people in Lebanon.
GENEVA, Switzerland: On average, eleven children have been killed or injured every 24 hours in Lebanon over the past week, the U.N.’s children’s agency said on May 29, as Israel has increased its strikes across the country despite a ceasefire.
Heavy Israeli airstrikes hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight from May 27 into May 28, after Israel declared a new part of the area a combat zone. It also attacked a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on May 28.
In total, 77 children have been killed or injured in the past seven days, UNICEF said, based on figures from Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. Since the ceasefire began on April 16, 55 children have been killed and 212 injured, according to the agency.
UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires urged all sides to fully respect the ceasefire.
“Under international humanitarian law, children and civilian infrastructure must be protected,” he said.
The ceasefire announced by Washington was meant to stop the fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which has been going on since March 2.
The U.N.’s World Health Organization also said on May 29 that the expansion of military activity is causing serious health concerns for people in Lebanon.
Since the ceasefire started, 27 attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon have been reported, leading to 25 deaths and 42 injuries, according to the WHO. It also said that 16 hospitals and 13 primary healthcare centers have been damaged in these attacks.
