Save the Children: 257 children killed in Lebanon in six months amid Israel-Hezbollah conflict

At least 257 children have been killed in Lebanon over the past six months as Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued to trade fire, according to the children’s rights group Save the Children, citing data from the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The organization said another 1,039 children were wounded during the same period, bringing the total number of child casualties to nearly 1,300 since the conflict most recently escalated — an average of more than seven children per day.

Even after a ceasefire agreement was reached in June, Save the Children said, children have remained exposed to recurring violence, forced displacement and the broader effects of destroyed civilian infrastructure.

“Children cannot continue to live under the threat of further violence while waiting for the conditions necessary to rebuild their lives,” said Nora Ingdal, Save the Children’s country director in Lebanon. “Lebanon needs a definitive, lasting and comprehensive ceasefire. The international community must not allow continued attacks, displacement, restrictions on return and the destruction of civilian infrastructure to become the new normal for children in Lebanon.”

The group also warned that the conflict has severely disrupted education, with an estimated 100,000 children expected to miss out on school in the upcoming academic year.

Violence between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia intensified sharply in early March, in the wider context of the conflict with Iran, according to the report. Despite a nominally fragile ceasefire still in place, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating its terms.

Israeli troops remain positioned in southern Lebanon and have carried out near-daily attacks, keeping the region on edge and deepening concerns for the safety of civilians, especially children.