UNICEF Reports 15 Children Killed, 62 Injured in Lebanon in Past Week Amidst Ceasefire

Kathmandu. The United Nations said on Friday that 15 children have died and 62 have been injured in Lebanon in the past week, even though a ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Hezbollah.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed surprise at this figure and emphasized the need to protect children in conflict according to international humanitarian law.

UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires informed a press conference in Geneva that the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health cited that 77 children were killed or injured in the past week.

The report stated, "In seven days, 15 children were killed and 62 were injured. This means an average of 11 children are affected by the conflict every 24 hours."

The report further stated, "Most of these children were affected by airstrikes in southern Lebanon. Just yesterday, seven children were killed and 30 were injured."

A ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was supposed to come into effect on April 17 but has never been observed. Both sides have accused each other of violating it.

Pires said that since the announcement of the ceasefire, 55 children have been killed and 212 have been injured.

Pires called on all parties to fully respect the ceasefire and abide by international humanitarian law. Under this, 'children and civilian infrastructure must always be protected.'

Following rocket attacks by the Lebanese local armed group Hezbollah on Israel over the killing of Iran's supreme leader in an America-Israeli attack, Israel has repeatedly issued warnings to evacuate large areas of the southern coastal city of Tyre and has carried out heavy attacks in recent days, even amidst the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.