Nearly 700,000 people displaced by escalation of Lebanon-Israel conflict

Beirut – The escalation of conflict between Israel and Lebanon has forced nearly 700,000 people, including approximately 200,000 children, to flee their homes, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“Mass displacement across Lebanon has forced nearly 700,000 people – including around 200,000 children – to leave their homes, adding to tens of thousands of people previously displaced by escalation,” UNICEF stated on Monday, 9 March.

At least 83 children have been killed and 254 others injured due to increasingly intensive fighting since 2 March.

“Over the past 28 months, 329 children in Lebanon have been reported killed and 1,632 others injured. In just the past six days alone, the number of children killed has risen by 25 per cent, bringing the total to an alarming figure of 412 children,” the statement said.

On 2 March, a barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon towards Israel, with Hezbollah claiming responsibility for the attack.

In response, the Israeli military subsequently launched large-scale attacks on populated areas throughout Lebanon, including the capital. As a result, hundreds of thousands of residents have begun leaving their homes in search of protection in safer areas across Lebanon.