An average of 19,000 children displaced daily as escalating violence uproots 20 per cent of Lebanon's population in three weeks

BEIRUT, 27 March 2026 – “In just three weeks, more than 370,000 children have been forced out of their homes in Lebanon, an average of at least 19,000 girls and boys displaced every single day. To grasp the scale, this is the equivalent of hundreds of school buses filled with children fleeing for their lives every 24 hours.

“In less than a single month, roughly 20 per cent of Lebanon’s population has been displaced. The speed and scale are staggering. Across the country, more than one million people are now uprooted—many for the second, third, or even fourth time. This is a sudden, chaotic mass displacement, tearing families apart and hollowing out entire communities, with consequences that will reverberate long after the violence subsides.

“The mental and emotional exhaustion weighing on the children of Lebanon is devastating. Before having a single moment to heal from the trauma of the last escalation just 15 months ago, they are being violently uprooted all over again. This relentless cycle of bombardment and displacement is severely compounding their psychological scars, embedding deep-seated fear and threatening profound, long-term emotional harm.

“In a shelter in Beirut, I met 11-year-old Zeinab, who had escaped with her family from the southern suburbs of Beirut to the same school they took refuge in 18 months ago.  She told me she never imagined that she would live these days again, sleeping with many people around her and listening to the sound of shelling and bombing almost every night. She just wishes to go back home and go back to school, go back to her normal life.   

“Today, over 135,000 internally displaced persons are seeking refuge in over 660 collective shelters, many of them children. The living conditions are increasingly strained. Many displaced households are sheltering in informal, overcrowded, and unsafe settings, including unfinished buildings, public spaces, and vehicles. Lebanon’s economic crisis and weakened infrastructure were already limiting the country’s ability to respond to basic needs; today, that infrastructure is buckling under the pressure.

“The essential services that children rely on for their survival and futures are being severely disrupted. In areas like Bekaa and Baalbek, bombardments have destroyed vital water reservoirs and pumping stations, cutting off tens of thousands of individuals from safe water. Furthermore, with an estimated 435 public schools now functioning as shelters, the education of over 115,000 students has been abruptly halted.

“The human cost of this escalation is shocking. To date, at least 121 children have been killed, and 395 have been injured. Those who survive the bombardment are waking up to a dire humanitarian reality. We are seeing families fleeing with only the clothes on their backs, forced to move multiple times within days as repeated displacement orders are issued.

“Meanwhile, essential civilian infrastructure - including hospitals, schools, bridges and water and sanitation systems – upon which children depend to carry on with their lives have been consistently attacked, damaged, or destroyed.

“UNICEF is on the ground, working around the clock alongside our partners and national systems to support children on the move, in shelters, and in hard-to-reach areas. In just the past few weeks, our Rapid Response Mechanism has reached over 167,000 displaced people with essential non-food items and winterization kits.

“We have delivered more than 140 tons of essential medical supplies to hospitals and activated 40 Primary Healthcare Satellite Units to ensure children and families in shelters have access to care. We are delivering emergency water and sanitation support to nearly 190 shelters, and we are working to protect children’s futures by supporting the Ministry of Education in establishing online learning access and planning Temporary Learning Spaces.

“However, humanitarian assistance alone cannot solve this crisis. Our emergency response capacity is severely weakened by repeated attacks on paramedics and health workers, and thousands of families remain cut off in hard-to-reach areas due to safety concerns and lack of transport.

“Children are paying the highest price for this conflict. We urgently call for unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need. We call for an immediate end to attacks on civilian infrastructure—including schools, hospitals, and water systems. Above all, the 370,000 displaced children desperately need an immediate ceasefire. They need to stop running and start living as children should.”