BEIRUT, (PIC)
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that 200 children have been killed and 806 others injured in Lebanon in the ongoing Israeli attacks since March 2, warning of worsening humanitarian and psychological conditions for children.
In a statement issued Thursday evening, UNICEF said children in Lebanon continue to bear the heaviest toll from ongoing violence, displacement, and trauma despite the ceasefire announced on April 17.
The organization said that last week alone saw 59 children killed or injured, while 23 children have been killed and 93 wounded since the ceasefire began, describing the figures as a stark reminder of the continuing dangers and violations facing children.
UNICEF added that an average of around 14 children have been killed or injured every day since the start of the offensive, noting that children are being killed and wounded at a time when they should have been returning to school and normal life.
The organization also warned of severe psychological consequences from the war, saying nearly 770,000 children in Lebanon are suffering worsening mental distress due to violence, loss, and displacement amid a lack of adequate mental health and social support services.
UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder said the reality on the ground contradicts the declared ceasefire, adding that continued attacks are killing children, deepening their suffering, and leaving devastating lifelong effects.
The organization called on all parties to protect children, comply with international humanitarian law, and ensure the continuation of the ceasefire.
According to official Lebanese figures, the ongoing Israeli offensive on Lebanon since March 2 has killed 2,896 people and injured 8,824 others, while displacing more than one million people.
US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on April 17, later extended for an additional three weeks. However, Israel has continued violating the truce through repeated airstrikes and shelling across different parts of Lebanon.
Southern Lebanon has recently witnessed a major military escalation between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, including the killing of an Israeli soldier, evacuation warnings issued to southern villages, mutual attacks, airstrikes, and shelling, amid political tensions ahead of the expiration of the current ceasefire and the resumption of indirect negotiations in Washington.
The Israeli military said on Friday that one of its soldiers was killed by a Hezbollah mortar shell launched from Lebanon. Israeli forces also issued evacuation orders for six villages in the Tyre district in preparation for shelling them.
The Israeli military further announced intercepting a projectile launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel after sirens sounded in the Eilabun area.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on various areas in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah targeted Israeli military sites and vehicles.
Separately, Israeli forces on Friday warned residents of five southern Lebanese towns to evacuate, one day after talks between Lebanon and Israel resumed in Washington and days before the ceasefire is due to expire.
Through a statement posted on X, the Israeli military spokesperson listed the towns near Tyre whose residents were ordered to evacuate “immediately,” saying Israeli forces would “operate forcefully” against the Iran-backed Hezbollah over alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement.
The towns named were Shabriha, Hammadiya (Tyre), Zoqoq al-Mafdi, Maashouq, and al-Housh.
Hezbollah announced five military operations carried out Thursday night and early Friday morning, including targeting an Israeli force moving in the Bidar al-Faqani area in the town of Taybeh with rocket fire.
The group also said it targeted an Israeli force near the newly established Bayyada site with rockets and artillery, and struck a Merkava tank attempting to support Israeli troops with a guided missile, claiming direct hits before launching another rocket barrage at the same force.
In a third operation, Hezbollah said it detonated an explosive device against two Israeli D9 bulldozers moving from the town of Rashaf toward Haddatha, destroying the first bulldozer.
The group added that when the second bulldozer attempted to continue advancing toward the Bidar area in Haddatha, it was also hit by another explosive device and destroyed. Hezbollah said Israeli warplanes later struck the second bulldozer, setting it on fire.
Hezbollah also announced detonating an explosive device targeting an Israeli force allegedly infiltrating near a water pumping station north of Taybeh, followed by artillery shelling that forced the force to retreat under heavy fire and smoke cover while Israeli helicopters evacuated the wounded.
In a fifth statement, Hezbollah said it confronted Israeli aircraft and drones over southern Lebanon using surface-to-air missiles.
Politically, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the success of the indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel expected in Washington depends on achieving a genuine ceasefire.
In remarks published on Thursday by Lebanese newspaper Ad-Diyar, Berri said, “Negotiations begin today at 9 a.m. Washington time, and if a real ceasefire is not achieved, everything will collapse.”
Asked about Lebanon’s negotiating position, Berri said, “We will accept nothing less than the withdrawal of Israeli forces, reconstruction, deployment of the Lebanese army, and the return of residents.”
Regarding a broader solution, Berri said Lebanon cannot emerge from its current crisis without regional and international backing to stabilize the country, stressing that Lebanon needs “a regional umbrella, particularly a Saudi-Iranian understanding or agreement on Lebanon under American sponsorship.”
