Children are feared to be among over 1,000 people killed in weekend hostilities in Syria, which has also displaced thousands of people, with Save the Children getting essential items to families fleeing and calling for children to be protected.
Over 590,000 children are set to receive polio vaccinations in Gaza, with the pause in hostilities allowing a third round of the vaccines required to protect children and prevent further outbreak of the life-threatening disease, said Save the Children.
Nearly one third of children in Lebanon – 29% - began the new year facing crisis levels of hunger, with some pushed into child labour to support their families, said Save the Children after new data showed an almost 5% increase in child hunger in the past three months.
A pause in hostilities in Gaza will protect children from bombs and bullets for as long as it holds but must be the turning point to secure a definitive ceasefire and to rapidly increase humanitarian aid to children facing malnutrition and disease, said Save the Children.
Children and families in Gaza have faced five attacks on schools-turned-shelters by Israeli forces in the first week of the new school year, with at least three children reported killed and scores of children injured, said Save the Children.
The use of explosive weapons in Gaza in 2024 condemned an average of 475 children each month – or 15 children a day [1]- to potentially lifelong disabilities, including severely injured limbs and hearing impairments, said Save the Children.
The Household-Level Rapid Vulnerability and Needs Assessment (RNA) was conducted to identify the most urgent needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Lebanon, focusing on food security, shelter, healthcare, water, and protection, to inform targeted humanitarian interventions.
Since the onset of cross-border attacks on October 8, 2023, tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border have significantly intensified with nearly 100,000 internally displaced people in Lebanon because of the conflict.
Save the Children welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah but said that the violence must stop immediately to protect children in Lebanon.
