UNICEF: 33 children killed on ‘Black Wednesday’ by Israel, 153 injured, others ‘missing, separated from family’
The U.N. children’s fund says, “The intensification of hostilities in Lebanon is having a devastating and inhuman impact on children.”
by L'Orient Today staff · L'Orient TodayUNICEF condemned, in a report released Thursday, that Israeli strikes on Beirut and many other regions on Wednesday “killed 33 children and injured 153 others” within minutes, according to available figures.
The U.N. children’s fund noted that the latest war “has killed or injured more than 600 children in Lebanon since March 2.”
The Israeli army carried out a series of a hundred strikes without any warning on neighborhoods that had been so far spared from war, causing real carnage by pulverizing entire buildings, notably in the capital, and resulting in more than 300 dead and 1,000 wounded.
Justifying these strikes as targeting “members of Hezbollah,” Israel thus carried out its deadliest offensive since the start of this conflict on March 2.
Children ‘pulled from the rubble and reported missing’
“The intensification of hostilities in Lebanon continues to have a devastating and inhuman effect on children,” the report states.
It adds: “UNICEF is receiving reports of children being pulled from the rubble, while others are still reported missing and separated from their families. Many are traumatized, having lost loved ones, their homes, and all sense of security. Across the country, more than one million people have been displaced, including around 390,000 children — many of them for the second, third, or even fourth time.”
Wednesday’s strikes in residential areas killed entire families. Some children were taken in by complete strangers after losing their loved ones. Photos of other missing children have flooded social media.
Deadly threat
UNICEF stresses that “international humanitarian law is clear: Civilians, including children, must be protected at all times.” “All parties to the conflict must take every possible precaution to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and ensure safe, sustainable, and unhindered humanitarian access,” the report emphasizes, adding, “the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas presents a deadly threat to children and must stop.”
The international organization says it is on the ground in Beirut, noting that it is caring for many wounded children, as part of the Assistance and Care for Children Wounded and Affected by War (ACWA) program, which it supports.
“In the face of rising needs, UNICEF is stepping up its emergency response. Our teams help deliver essential supplies to shelters, and medical equipment to public health facilities, while mobile units provide emergency care to displaced families,” the text continues.
Advocating for a cease-fire in Lebanon and calling for greater peace efforts, UNICEF states that “the children of Lebanon cannot be left behind.”
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