Countries: Lebanon, occupied Palestinian territory Source: UN Children’s Fund Please refer to the attached file. Highlights 8 April marked the deadliest day of the conflict, with at least 303 people killed, including 33 children, and over 1,150 injured, including 153 children. The escalation has sharply increased protection risks for children, highlighting the acute threat to their safety, wellbeing, and access to essential services. UNICEF has reached approximately 100,000 people in hard-to-reach, high-risk areas since 2 March, delivering life-saving support to children and families despite severe access constraints and ongoing hostilities through joint convoys with WFP. UNICEF is reaching 30,350 children with learning, recreational, and play materials through the distribution of 975 education kits in 174 shelters. To reach 1 million people in need, UNICEF requires US$ 48.3 million for its three-month response, but faces a 74 per cent funding gap with only US$ 12.5 million available. Without urgent additional funding, life-saving services for children and families will be disrupted. Situation in Numbers 1,888 People killed since 2 March (MoPH) 6,092 People injured since 2 March (MoPH) 390,000 Children displaced 1.1 million People displaced Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs On 8 April, the deadliest day of the conflict in Lebanon to date, at least 303 people were reportedly killed, including 33 children, and over 1,150 injured, including 153 children, following Israeli strikes. This brings the total to 1,888 deaths and 6,092 injuries since 2 March, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) as of 9 April. The intensification of attacks have prompted international calls for the protection of civilians and urgent measures to de-escalate tensions. The escalation has significantly increased protection risks, particularly for children, including family separation, psychological distress, and reduced access to essential services. As of 9 April, 16 children were identified as unaccompanied and separated, with 15 reunited with support from UNICEF and child protection sector partners. Mass displacement is ongoing amid intensified strikes, repeated displacement orders, and the expansion of affected areas. As of 8 April, over 1.1 million people1 are displaced, including more than 390,000 children, with 139,241 individuals sheltering in 680 official collective shelters.2 Continued strikes in densely populated urban areas, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, risk triggering further large-scale displacement and compounding already overstretched shelter capacity.3 Between 2 March to 5 April, approximately 206,466 Syrians crossed back into Syria along with 36,794 Lebanese crossing into Syria. Hostilities remain widespread across Beirut’s southern suburbs, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa, with continued artillery fire and reported ground incursions along the Blue Line.5 Civilian infrastructure continues to be impacted, including 18 reported incidents affecting water systems across Baalbek-Hermel, Bekaa, South, and Nabatieh, damaging reservoirs, pumping stations, solar systems, and main supply lines, and disrupting access to safe water. Airstrikes have disabled key crossings, severely disrupting movement and humanitarian access. Damage to major routes has cut connectivity across southern Lebanon and other parts of the country, leaving over 150,000 people effectively isolated with limited access to essential services and aid. Attacks on healthcare and emergency services remain a major concern. Since 2 March, 57 healthcare workers have been killed and 158 injured, alongside 93 reported attacks on emergency medical services. A total of 75 vehicles and 20 medical facilities have been impacted, and 6 hospitals have been forced to close. 6 Overcrowded shelter conditions are contributing to the emergence of communicable diseases, including scabies, lice, and varicella, increasing public health risks. Access to health services remains constrained, particularly for populations in hard-to-reach areas with limited mobility. These challenges are compounded by the impact of ongoing hostilities on healthcare facilities, further reducing the availability and accessibility of essential services. Education in Lebanon has been severely disrupted by escalating hostilities and mass displacement. Of the 669 collective shelters, 365 are public schools and 58 are Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, greatly reducing available learning spaces. In addition, 439 public schools across South and Nabatieh, Bekaa, Baalbek, and Beirut’s southern suburbs remain closed due to insecurity, evacuation orders, and proximity to conflict zones. These closures have directly affected approximately 256,000 students, including 181,500 in the morning shift and 74,500 in the afternoon shift. The conversion of 58 TVET schools into shelters has disrupted access for 16,400 youth, while the closure of 46 additional TVET schools in South Lebanon and Bekaa has affected a further 16,850 youth. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) has initiated a gradual reopening of schools through blended learning modalities. Around 600 schools have resumed learning in safer locations, primarily in North Lebanon and Akkar, including 109 designated hub schools operating double-shift systems to accommodate students from closed or shelter schools. At the TVET level, 55 public schools have resumed in-person learning in safe areas, while 103 schools, either closed or currently used as shelters, have transitioned to online learning delivered by TVET teachers. However, despite these efforts, access to education remains uneven, particularly for displaced children and youth facing barriers such as limited connectivity, lack of safe learning spaces, and ongoing insecurity, constraining continuity of learning. Prolonged disruption to education risks increased dropout rates and negative coping mechanisms among children and adolescents, particularly among displaced populations. To better understand gaps among the most vulnerable, UNICEF partnered with the women-led organization FEMALE to conduct rapid assessments of families living in open spaces in Beirut and Saida. Findings indicate that access to shelter remains limited due to safety concerns, lack of privacy, unsuitable conditions, and fear of family separation, with additional accessibility barriers reported, particularly in the North. WASH services are constrained, with limited access to toilets and hygiene facilities, insufficient hygiene and dignity kits, and long distances to showers. Education access is extremely limited, as children face difficulties participating in remote learning due to limited electricity and charging capacity. Health services remain under pressure, with mobile medical units requiring extended operating hours. Child protection risks include unaccompanied and separated children.

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