Children's books lie among the debris of a building obliterated by an overnight Israeli air strike in the southern Lebanese town of Saksakiyeh on November 12, 2024. — Reuters

The UN reported on Tuesday that more than 200 children have perished in Lebanon since Israel intensified its attacks against Hezbollah less than two months ago. "Despite the tragic loss of over 200 children in Lebanon in less than two months, a troubling pattern has surfaced: their deaths are met with indifference from those who could halt this violence," stated James Elder, spokesperson for the UN children's agency Unicef, during a press briefing in Geneva.

"In the past two months in Lebanon, an average of three children have been killed daily," he noted. "Many more have been injured and traumatized," he added, emphasizing that over 1,100 children had been harmed in the violence during this period. Hezbollah initiated rocket attacks into Israel in October last year in solidarity with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. Since September, Israel has launched extensive bombing campaigns in Lebanon, primarily targeting Hezbollah strongholds, though some strikes have affected areas beyond the Iran-backed group's control.

Since the conflict with Hezbollah commenced, over 3,510 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to local authorities, with most fatalities occurring since late September. Elder mentioned that since the war broke out in Gaza after October 7 last year, at least 231 children had been killed in Lebanon. "We must pray that humanity never again sees the ongoing level of child casualties in Gaza, though there are stark parallels for children in Lebanon," he said.

He highlighted the hundreds of thousands of children rendered homeless in Lebanon and the "disproportionate attacks, many of which frequently target infrastructure vital for children." "Medical facilities are being attacked, and health workers are being killed at an alarming rate," he stated. According to Lebanese authorities, as of November 15, more than 200 health workers had been killed and 300 injured.

"The most distressing parallel to Gaza," he said, "is that the escalation in child deaths is eliciting no significant response from those with the power to act." "In Lebanon, much like in Gaza, the intolerable is gradually becoming acceptable. And the appalling is slipping into the realm of the expected."

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