Save the Children says Israel has killed an average of seven children each day in Lebanon since March, with at least 257 children killed and 1,039 injured over the past six months. The organisation said the toll has continued despite agreements involving Lebanon’s government and Israel aimed at ending the fighting.
Damage to homes and essential services
Save the Children said Israel has killed at least 4,300 people, wounded more than 12,000 and destroyed between 60 and 70 villages in Lebanon over the same period. The organisation said ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure, displacement and restrictions on return continue to put children at risk.
Children who have returned home still face barriers to essential services, including schools and hospitals. Lebanon’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education found that 340 schools had been damaged or destroyed in the past six months, according to Save the Children. For additional context, see “Children return to a damaged school under demolition threat”.
Displacement continues after the ceasefire
More than one million people were displaced in southern Lebanon at the peak of the fighting. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 348,800 people remain unable to return home despite the ceasefire signed in June.
Save the Children Lebanon country director Nora Ingdal said the international community must not allow attacks, displacement, restrictions on return and the destruction of civilian infrastructure to become normal conditions for children. The organisation said at least 100,000 children risk missing the next school year without urgent action to restore schools.
A fragile series of agreements
Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging cross-border strikes after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The two sides reached a tentative ceasefire agreement in November 2024 after Israeli forces seized territory in southern Lebanon, but Israeli forces continued to occupy areas in the south and were accused of repeatedly violating the agreement. A related part of this story is covered in “Attacks persist in Syria and Lebanon despite diplomatic efforts”.
Lebanon’s government and Israel reached a framework agreement in June to end the fighting. Hezbollah rejected the agreement unless Israel fully withdraws from Lebanese territory. The two sides had also reached an earlier agreement aimed at ending the fighting in April.
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