UN: 15 Lebanese Children Killed in Past Week Despite Ceasefire
The United Nations (UN) reported distressing data regarding the impact of the conflict in Lebanon. Fifteen children were killed and 62 others injured in just seven days, despite the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah being in effect. UNICEF, the UN agency for children, described the figures as shocking. It stressed that under international humanitarian law, children must be protected at all times during conflicts without exception. ‘According to Lebanon’s Public Health Ministry, 77 children have been reported killed or injured in the past week alone,’ UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said during a media briefing in Geneva on Friday, 29 May 2026. Pires detailed that an average of 11 children were being affected daily. ‘Fifteen children were killed and 62 injured over seven days. We understand that most of these children were affected by air strikes in southern Lebanon. Yesterday alone, seven children were killed and 30 injured,’ he added. The ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah was supposed to take effect on 17 April. However, in practice, the agreement has been almost entirely disregarded on the ground. Both sides have accused each other of violations and used these claims to justify retaliatory attacks. UNICEF data shows a terrifying escalation since the ceasefire announcement. In total, 55 children have been killed and 212 injured since the supposed calm period began. Lebanon has been drawn into the Middle East conflict since early March, triggered by Hezbollah rocket launches into Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s top leader in a US-Israel strike. This prompted massive Israeli retaliation, including a ground invasion. In recent days, the Israeli military has repeatedly issued evacuation warnings for residents in most coastal southern cities, including Tyre, followed by intense air strikes. This situation is worsening the humanitarian crisis and threatening the safety of thousands of children still trapped in conflict zones. (AFP/I-2)