UNICEF: One in Five Lebanese Children Go Hungry Amidst War

A new UNICEF assessment reveals that one in five children in Lebanon is not receiving enough food, and another one in five has not attended school in the past year. The report, released on Wednesday, September 29, attributes the severe deterioration of family and child welfare to the economic fallout from the war and the mass displacement of southern Lebanon's residents. At the conflict's peak, 1.2 million people were displaced, with approximately 340,000, including a third who are children, still unable to return, according to UN data. UNICEF stated that since March of the current year, an average of seven children have been killed or injured daily, totaling 261 deaths and 1,056 injuries. The organization estimates that about 12% of these affected children now live with disabilities. UNICEF's figures are based on reports from Lebanon's Ministry of Health, and no direct refutations have been issued by independent verification centers.

Families are facing immense difficulties accessing healthcare, with 71% reporting struggles to pay for medical services for their children, a threefold increase from six months prior. Nearly 38% of families cannot afford essential medicines, and 31% report that children are not receiving necessary medical care, primarily due to high costs. Approximately 6% of surveyed families indicated that their children became ill or injured due to the war, and 34% of these could not obtain the required treatment. Furthermore, disruptions to water supply systems have impacted over 700,000 people, including 238,000 children, raising the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.

The food situation is also dire, with 82% of families finding it harder to afford basic necessities over the last three months. Twenty-two percent reported that children went hungry in the two weeks preceding the survey. Among families with children under five, only 10% can provide a sufficiently diverse diet. The economic strain has forced 14% of families to have at least one child start working, a significant rise from 6% in January 2025.

The education system has also been severely impacted. During the conflict's peak, 433 public schools, roughly one-third of Lebanon's public school network, were converted into shelters, potentially cutting off about 100,000 children from education. An additional 436 schools sustained damage, and 37 were completely destroyed. Seventy-six percent of families find it more challenging to provide education for their children, with 46% reducing study-related expenses and 17% ceasing their children's education entirely. One in five children did not attend school at all last year, and among those who continued, 29% struggled with their studies due to issues like concentration problems and emotional stress.

"Without urgent and long-term measures, an entire generation of children and young people risks carrying the consequences of this crisis into adulthood," stated UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Marco Luigi Corsi. The Israeli military (IDF) does not publish separate statistics on civilian casualties, focusing instead on eliminated militants and destroyed infrastructure. The IDF reported eliminating over 2,500 Hezbollah militants by mid-2026 and denies intentionally targeting civilians. Israel asserts that Hezbollah deliberately places military assets within civilian areas, providing photographic and video evidence of rocket launchers, weapons caches, and launch sites near residential buildings and schools. Israel also contends that Lebanese statistics may not always distinguish between civilians and underage militants, claiming Hezbollah recruits teenagers aged 15-17 who might be counted as children if killed. The IDF highlights its measures to reduce civilian casualties, including issuing warnings in Arabic or by phone before strikes on Hezbollah military infrastructure, attributing civilian deaths to Hezbollah's use of populated areas and human shields.