Israel's Raid, 19 Thousand Children in Lebanon Flee Every Day

JAKARTA - A UNICEF (United Nations/UN Fund for Children) official said an average of 19,000 children have been displaced every day in Lebanon in the last three weeks amid the ongoing Israeli attacks.

"In just three weeks, more than 370,000 children have been forced to leave their homes in Lebanon, or an average of at least 19,000 girls and boys displaced every day," said UNICEF representative in Lebanon, Marcoluigi Corsi, in a UN briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, March 27, reported by ANTARA from Anadolu.

To illustrate the scale, he said the number was equivalent to "hundreds of school buses filled with children fleeing for their safety every 24 hours."

Corsi said the crisis has led to about 20 percent of the Lebanese population fleeing in less than a month, with more than a million people made homeless.

"The speed and scale of it is mind-boggling," he said, describing a "sudden and chaotic mass displacement" that "separated families and emptied entire communities."

He warned of the serious psychological impact on children caught in a cycle of repeated violence, with mental and emotional exhaustion that is "very devastating."

"This endless cycle of bombing and displacement is exacerbating their psychological wounds, instilling deep fear and threatening serious long-term emotional damage," Corsi said.

The deteriorating living conditions have also exacerbated the situation, with more than 135,000 refugees sheltering in more than 660 locations, many of which are overcrowded and unsafe. At least 121 children were killed and 395 others were injured.

"The humanitarian cost of this escalation is staggering," Corsi said, stressing that basic services are collapsing, including a damaged water system and more than 435 schools converted into shelters, disrupting the education of more than 115,000 students.

"Children are paying the highest price in this conflict," he said, calling for an "immediate ceasefire" and urgent humanitarian access. "They need to stop running and get back to living as children should."

UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) is a United Nations agency established on December 11, 1946 to provide humanitarian assistance, protection, and fulfillment of the rights of children and women around the world, especially in developing countries and emergency situations.

UNICEF focuses on health, nutrition, education, and clean water and sanitation.