Human Wrongs Watch
The conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of children and their families.
23 October 2024 (UNICEF)* — “We could see the rockets above us. We saw them while we were running,” Zeinab says as she recalls the moments after she fled from her aunt’s home. “We saw them and just kept running.”
Zeinab is one of the more than 1 million people in Lebanon who have been displaced by the catastrophic escalation of hostilities.
Around 190,000 people are estimated to be staying in shelters across the country, while hundreds of thousands more are seeking safety with family and friends. But many, like Zeinab and her children, have no choice but to sleep on the street.
“Our house in Beirut is gone. There is no home now,” she says.
After fleeing Beirut, the family initially took refuge in the northern city of Tripoli. But after being crammed into a single room with 17 people for several days, Zeinab decided to return to Beirut with her children. She lives on the sidewalk now, huddled with her children.
“We’ve been here for ten days,” she says.
UNICEF
“Of course, we’re not happy sleeping here,” she says. “But we had no choice.
“My sister and I went looking for a blanket to borrow from people. Someone lent us two blankets, and we slept on them. We stayed up until 3 am just searching for a blanket.”
As the conflict has worsened, the psychological toll on the population, particularly children, has spiraled. Almost every child in Lebanon has been impacted in some way.
Many have been victims of bombardments, losing loved ones, their homes, or access to education.
An estimated 400,000 children have been forced from their homes. Many are staying in makeshift shelters hoping for a semblance of safety – some in public schools, others with anyone who can offer a roof and a place to rest. Some families have no option but to set up tents on the beachfront or the street.
Every child who has been displaced has a story – of loss, of a life upended, of uncertainty for what lies ahead.
“If I’m destined to die, I’ll die, and if I am destined to live, I will live,” Ghazal, 9, says matter-of-factly.
She fled from southern Lebanon to Beirut and recalls how simple life used to be – playing with her brother and friends, being able to take showers, have dinner, and go to bed in peace.
Ghazal is particularly worried about her grandmother. “How could I know if she passed away now, God forbid? What would I do then?”
She also worries about the school she left behind.
UNICEF/UNI655509/Choufany
“I hope my school stays safe and doesn’t even get a single scratch because, in the end, it’s my school, and when I grow up, my future will be there,” she says.
“I don’t just want to play. I want to learn and study.”
Abbas, 11, was hit by shrapnel during a missile strike near his home in southern Lebanon.
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“I went out to see what happened, and all of a sudden, I looked at my hand and saw it was covered in blood,” he recalls.
“The sound was incredibly loud. It shattered our windows and destroyed everything.”
Abbas used to raise pigeons at home and is anxious because he left them without food. There wasn’t time to tend to them or even pack up some clothes as he fled. “I don’t know if they’re alive,” he says. “I think about them every day, and I wish I could go back to check on them.”
Mohammad, 13, also misses his home and hopes the war will end soon so he can go back to school. He had to leave after heavy bombing near their house. “I felt scared, as if the building was going to collapse on us,” he says.
Despite everything, Mohammad is still hopeful.
UNICEF/UNI655518/Choufany
“I say, don’t be afraid. Because when the war ends, we’ll return to our homes and our schools.”
Not every child on Lebanon’s streets has been displaced from their home – some children have been born amongst the chaos and devastation of this conflict.
Farah sits in a makeshift tent in downtown Beirut cradling her newborn daughter. She gave birth here after she was forced to flee her home.
“I’m very scared for my children. And for this child. And I’m afraid of this place,” she says.
“Look at this tent we are living in. Now the sky is cloudy, and if it rains, where will I take her?”
UNICEF teams are on the ground and working around the clock with partners to help children and families meet some of their basic needs.
This support includes providing bottled and trucked water and hygiene kits.
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Connecting displaced families with primary health care services.
Identifying injured children to provide them with critical protection services.
And delivering medical supplies to help pregnant women and injured children.
But the needs are enormous. Around 1.2 million people have been affected. Tens of thousands of families are living in perilous circumstances. Thousands of people remain on the streets of Lebanon without adequate shelter, bedding or clothing.
Nathaly, 7, has been staying with her family in a shelter for a few days, since they were forced to flee their home.
“Every day, I hear the frightening sound of the planes, and I ask my mom about it,” Nathaly says, adding she’s worried her family might be killed and that she’ll be left alone.
UNICEF/UNI655525/Choufany
“That’s not right,” she says.
“I should stay with my family, sleep beside them, and keep cuddling them, because that’s the best thing.”
*SOURCE: UNICEF. Go to ORIGINAL: https://www.unicef.org/stories/loss-and-uncertainty-lebanons-children
2024 Human Wrongs Watch
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Baher Kamal
HUMAN WRONGS WATCH 
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