What is happening in Lebanon?
Since 2023, the lives of children in Lebanon have been impacted by on and off escalations of conflict and children have paid a devastating price.
Since the announcement of a "so-called" temporary ceasefire on 16 April this year, more than four children have been killed or injured in Lebanon every day on average. The attacks on civilians have not stopped. They have simply continued under another name.
This brings the number of children killed in strikes by Israeli forces since the escalation in hostilities in Lebanon on 2 March to almost 200.
That's 200 children missing from the playground, the classroom, the dinner table.
On top of this, over 8,000 people have been injured, including at least 720 children.
Children in Lebanon are once again paying the highest price of violence and instability.
A prolonged humanitarian crisis
Lebanon was already facing a prolonged humanitarian crisis, with children still rebuilding their lives from war that stopped in 2024.
In recent weeks, over 1 million people, including more than 390,000 children, have been forced to leave their homes for the second time in two years.
Forced to seek safety wherever they can find it, children's lives have been upended again, their rights hanging in the balance.
They have endured unimaginable suffering — injured and displaced, cut off from food, healthcare and education, and exposed to trauma no child should ever experience. Many have lost family members or have been separated from their families.
Parents like Khadijah, a 50-year-old Lebanese mother, described the nightmare they had already been through when bombs started falling again:
"As a parent, I wanted to shield my children from all of it," says Khadijah. "But the truth is, I could barely handle it myself. So how could they? We're trying to get back on our feet, but it's not easy. My children are the ones suffering the most, even though they try to hide it. All they wanted was to go home and sleep in their own rooms, even if the windows were shattered and everything was nearly ruined."
Now, their future is uncertain again.
Many children's neighborhoods no longer resemble the homes they once knew, with their homes, schools, playgrounds and hospitals damaged or totally destroyed. In the south of Lebanon, whole villages have been razed to the ground.
Nearly one fifth of children in Lebanon – about 380,00 children - are expected to face crisis-level hunger or worse between April and August 2026.
Rami*, 11, who was injured before the current escalation, sits with his broken foot in a cast, at the collective shelter to where he was forced to flee with his family when his neighbourhood was targeted by Israeli airstrikes. He and his family were forced to flee their homes at 2am.
How Save the Children is responding
Save the Children arrived in Lebanon in 1953 and we’ve been there ever since, tackling problems in education, child protection, livelihoods and shelter.
When conflict escalated in 2024, we mobilised immediately, reaching 311,069 people across Lebanon - including 131,107 children - with life-saving support and services to help families recover.
Thanks to our nationwide presence and links with local partners, we have been able to deliver lifesaving support once again to children and families caught up in the current conflict.
We have distributed hygiene kits, baby kits, female dignity kits, bottled water, and items such as mattresses, blankets, and pillows. We've also been scaling up how we can help children access education, and ensure water, sanitation, and shelter is in place for children forced to flee.
In the coming weeks and months, Save the Children will continue to scale up life-saving support. We will keep working closely with local partners, authorities and communities to ensure assistance reaches children most in need.
In the meantime, we are urgently calling for a definitive, region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon, to protect children from further harm.
They deserve the same safety and protection as children anywhere in the world.
Wars have laws and children must be off limits.
Children playing at a Child Friendly Space in a collective shelter for families forced to flee their homes in Lebanon. Save the Children supports children with recreational activities, drawings, and toys and a moment to just be children again.
Why continued support matters
With a new wave of conflict impacting a country that was already trying to recover from widespread violence and destruction, it will take a long time for Lebanon to heal.
Children who have lived through or are living through conflict need ongoing support to process and rebuild, witnessing violence, losing loved ones or spending months displaced from home. Some families may not even have a home to return to.
But children are resilient when given the right support. Every family we support brings Lebanon's children one step closer to the futures they deserve.
Save the Children has worked in Lebanon since 1953. We're committed to supporting Lebanese children through this crisis and beyond, continuing the work we started alongside communities and local partners to build a more stable future for all children growing up there.
Our work in Lebanon
Data reflects Save the Children's response from September 2024 to September 2025.
Supporting children's mental health and protection
The psychological scars of conflict run deep. Through our child protection programmes, we've provided mental health and psychosocial support to 2,791 children and 998 adults. In safe spaces across Lebanon, children who experienced trauma can play, express themselves and begin healing through activities designed by trained staff.
When schools reopened in 2024, we welcomed children back with special programmes to help them reconnect with friends and ease into learning again. Only an end to violence can ensure children can continue their education today.
Ensuring access to clean water and sanitation
Access to clean water became critical during displacement and as families returned to damaged communities. We've reached 154,217 people - including 60,411 children and 93,806 adults - with water, sanitation and hygiene support. This includes distributing hygiene kits, repairing water systems and ensuring families in shelters and temporary accommodation have safe sanitation facilities.
Meeting basic needs with food and nutrition
Families who lost income during months of displacement struggled to afford even basic necessities. We've supported 77,274 people - 27,904 children and 49,370 adults - with food security assistance to help families meet their immediate needs while working to rebuild their lives.
Through nutrition programmes, we've reached an additional 26,500 people (10,335 children and 16,165 adults) to address malnutrition and ensure children receive essential nutrients during this critical recovery period.
Keeping education going
For the sixth consecutive year, Lebanon's children have seen their education interrupted. We've reached 20,048 people - including 17,495 children and 2,553 adults - with educational support. This includes providing learning materials, supporting teachers and creating opportunities for children to continue learning even when formal schooling was disrupted.
Providing shelter and essential items
When families fled with nothing or returned to damaged homes in 2024, basic items became urgent necessities. We provided 29,241 people - including 12,171 children and 17,070 adults - with shelter support and essential items such as mattresses, blankets and household supplies.
We're now scaling up our response once more, to ensure displaced families have the essentials they need.
