One-Fifth of Lebanese Households Report Children Facing Hunger; Water Access Remains Critical

• According to recent surveys, one in five Lebanese households reports that children go to bed hungry.
• The same proportion of families also face insufficient access to safe drinking water, per UNICEF.

Updated 7 min 2 sec ago

October 1, 202601:58

LONDON: Children are going to bed hungry in at least one out of every five Lebanese households, while a comparable number of families struggle to provide adequate safe drinking water, UNICEF announced on Wednesday, warning that protracted conflict and displacement are causing profound and lasting harm.

UNICEF stated that the crisis has left an estimated 770,000 children and young people experiencing psychological distress, as families grapple with rising food insecurity, disrupted schooling, limited healthcare, and shrinking economic outlooks.

“Children and young people in Lebanon are shouldering a burden none of these youth should endure,” said UNICEF’s representative in Lebanon, Marcoluigi Corsi, in a statement. “Without immediate and sustained intervention, these pressures will shape their lives for years to come.”

In a September report, UNICEF noted that roughly one‑third of surveyed families reported that their children had missed necessary medical care, primarily due to affordability constraints. Fourteen percent indicated that at least one of their children was working—more than double the figure recorded in January 2025.

The conflict has amplified these challenges. Since March 2, at least 261 children have been killed and 1,056 injured, UNICEF reported an average of seven casualties per day over a six‑month period. Approximately 12 percent of the injured children now live with disabilities, underscoring the long‑term repercussions of ongoing violence.

Educational institutions have also suffered heavily. UNICEF said 436 schools have been damaged or destroyed, exposing roughly 100,000 children to interrupted learning. Eighty‑six teachers have been killed or injured. Even where schools remain operational, financial strain and trauma are disrupting education; 46 percent of families have reduced spendings on education, and 17 percent report that their children have stopped attending school altogether. Among pupils still enrolled, 29 percent are unable to achieve expected learning outcomes, frequently due to emotional stress or difficulty concentrating.

The agency emphasized that humanitarian aid alone cannot meet the scale of Lebanon’s needs. “Without urgent and sustained action, an entire generation of children and young people risks inheriting the lingering scars of this crisis into adulthood,” Corsi added.

Less than six months after an April 17 ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel aimed to pause hostilities involving Hezbollah and the Israeli military, airstrikes, demolition work, and continuous shelling have persisted. According to the UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, further airstrikes, shelling, demolitions, and military activity continue across southern Lebanon.

More than one million people were displaced in the weeks following the escalation, and nearly 330,000 have yet to return because of ongoing attacks and extensive damage in southern Lebanon.

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