Beirut, Oct. 1 (SANA) One in five children in Lebanon goes to bed hungry and four in five families are struggling to meet basic needs as hostilities compound a years-long economic and social crisis, UNICEF said in a report released Wednesday.
The U.N. children’s agency said mounting financial pressures were forcing families to cut spending on food, healthcare and education, while more children were entering the workforce.
Fourteen percent of families surveyed had at least one child working, more than double the level recorded in January 2025, UNICEF said.
Nearly one-third of families said their children had gone without needed healthcare because they could not afford it. About 46% had reduced education spending, while 17% said their children had stopped attending school.
Education has been further disrupted by damage to 436 schools, putting about 100,000 children at risk of losing access to schooling. UNICEF said 29% of children still enrolled were struggling to learn because of difficulty concentrating and psychological distress. Eighty-six teachers have been killed or injured.
The humanitarian toll has also risen sharply. UNICEF said at least 261 children had been killed and 1,056 injured in hostilities since March 2, an average of seven children killed or wounded each day over the past six months. About 12% of injured children are estimated to be living with a disability.
Around 770,000 children experienced psychological distress during the same period, the agency said. More than half of families reported a decline in their children’s psychological well-being, and 63% said their children were anxious or stressed.
“Children and young people in Lebanon are being asked to carry a burden that no child should have to bear,” UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Marcoluigi Corsi said, warning that without urgent and sustained action, the pressures could have lasting consequences.
More than 1 million people were displaced within Lebanon during weeks of escalating hostilities, UNICEF said. About 330,000 remain unable to return home because of continuing attacks and widespread destruction in southern Lebanon, while 83% of displaced families said they did not know when they could return.
Israeli attacks and military operations continue in parts of Lebanon, particularly in the south, despite a framework agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel under U.S. auspices on June 26.
N.J/ABD
