BEIRUT, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Four in five households in Lebanon are struggling to afford basic necessities as the Israel-Hezbollah conflict compounds the country's prolonged economic crisis, leaving more children facing hunger, interrupted education and limited access to health care, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday.
According to a new UNICEF assessment, 22 percent of surveyed households said their children had gone to bed hungry, while only 10 percent of households with children under five were able to provide an adequately nutritious diet.
Financial hardship has also restricted access to health services, with 31 percent of households reporting that children had gone without needed medical care, mainly because families could not afford it.
The assessment found that 14 percent of households had at least one child working, more than twice the rate recorded in January 2025.
"Children and young people in Lebanon are being asked to bear a burden no child should have to carry," said Marcoluigi Corsi, UNICEF representative in Lebanon.
The conflict has also taken a heavy toll on children. Since March 2, at least 261 children have been killed and 1,056 injured, with UNICEF estimating that about 12 percent of injured children are now living with disabilities.
Education has been severely disrupted, with 436 schools damaged or destroyed, putting around 100,000 children at risk of being without classrooms. Some 86 teachers have also been killed or injured.
The psychological impact has been widespread. UNICEF estimates that around 770,000 children have experienced psychological distress over the past six months. More than half of households reported a deterioration in their children's emotional well-being, while 63 percent said their children were anxious or nervous.
UNICEF said it has intensified its humanitarian response since January, including treating injured children, delivering supplies to shelters and medical facilities, and assisting displaced families.
"Without urgent and sustained action, an entire generation of children and young people risks carrying the scars of this crisis into adulthood," Corsi said. ■
