GENEVA
An average of 19,000 children have been displaced every day in Lebanon over the past three weeks amid ongoing Israeli strikes, a UNICEF official said Friday.
"In just three weeks, more than 370,000 children have been forced out of their homes in Lebanon, an average of at least 19,000 girls and boys displaced every single day," said Marcoluigi Corsi, UNICEF representative in Lebanon, during a UN briefing in Geneva.
To grasp the scale, he explained, this is the equivalent of "hundreds of school buses filled with children fleeing for their lives every 24 hours."
Corsi said the crisis has displaced roughly 20% of Lebanon's population in less than a month, with more than one million people uprooted. "The speed and scale are staggering," he said, describing a "sudden, chaotic mass displacement" that is "tearing families apart and hollowing out entire communities."
He warned of severe psychological consequences for children caught in repeated cycles of violence, saying the mental and emotional exhaustion weighing on them is "devastating."
"This relentless cycle of bombardment and displacement is severely compounding their psychological scars, embedding deep-seated fear and threatening profound, long-term emotional harm," Corsi said.
Deteriorating living conditions are adding to the toll, he noted, with more than 135,000 displaced people sheltering in over 660 sites, many overcrowded and unsafe. At least 121 children have been killed and 395 injured, he added.
"The human cost of this escalation is shocking," Corsi said, stressing that basic services are collapsing, with water systems damaged and over 435 schools now repurposed as shelters, disrupting education for more than 115,000 students.
"Children are paying the highest price for this conflict," he said, calling for "an immediate ceasefire" and urgent humanitarian access. "They need to stop running and start living as children should."
Access to safety becomes 'increasingly difficult'
The UN refugee agency, for its part, told the briefing that people in Lebanon no longer feel safe, even in displacement.
Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR representative in Lebanon, stressed that families live in constant fear, and the psychological toll, particularly on children, will last "far beyond the current conflict."
"Access to safety is also becoming increasingly difficult," she said, noting the destruction of key bridges in the south has cut off entire districts, isolating over 150,000 people and "severely limiting humanitarian access."
Beyond immediate shelter needs, there is a "clear, urgent requirement" for increased protection and community support, according to the representative.
"The risk of a humanitarian catastrophe is real," she warned as needs are "rising faster than resources."
"Without expanded shelter, overcrowding will worsen. Without strengthened protection, risks for children, women and vulnerable groups will increase," Billing said. "If aid does not reach people quickly, distress will turn into tension."
Int'l support for humanitarian response needed
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) spokesperson called on international community and donors to act as needs are growing in Lebanon.
"We call on the international community, partners, and donors to show solidarity and support the humanitarian response," Tommaso Della Longa told reporters. "Needs are growing, and we cannot leave affected communities in Lebanon to face this crisis alone."
Regarding the challenges faced during delivering relief, he said that "one of the major challenges faced is the high level of risk facing volunteers, particularly during nighttime missions."
"Staff and volunteers are working under extreme pressure while ensuring both their personal safety and the safe evacuation of injured individuals," he said, and added: "Sadly, we already lost one volunteer and several others were injured during ambulance missions."
He underlined that IFRC's priority is to sustain the response, addressing both immediate needs and the longer-term sustainability of operations.
According to the spokesperson, IFRC's support is "critical" to maintaining ambulance services, health services including Mobile Medical Units, blood supplies for hospitals, and relief assistance for displaced families.
