Almost 700,000 displaced, 84 children killed after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, UN agencies say

Record ID: 2365622

  • Title: Almost 700,000 displaced, 84 children killed after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, UN agencies say
  • Date: 10th March 2026
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 15, 2026) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ACTOR ZOE SALDANA POSING  MUSICIAN USHER AND WIFE JENNIFER GOICOECHEA ACTOR AND MUSICIAN MARY J BLIGE POSING  ACTOR CHRIS EVANS AND ALBA BAPTISTA POSING  ACTOR TARON EGERTON POSING  ACTOR REGÉ-JEAN PAGE POSING  MUSICIAN AND DANCER TATE MCRAE POSING  COMEDIAN AND ACTO
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Iran Israel Lebanon UNHCR US United Nations WHO children displaced refugees war
  • Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / BEIRUT, MASNAA BORDER AND MAYFADOUN, LEBANON
  • City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / BEIRUT, MASNAA BORDER AND MAYFADOUN, LEBANON
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA001268010032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Lives have been upended on a massive scale in Lebanon amid the wider Middle East conflict, with more than 667,000 people now displaced within the country, a surge of 100,000 in just one day, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday (March 10) while about one fifth those killed and injured are children, the World Health Organization said. 
        Lebanon was dragged into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran this month when Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah ​launched rockets and drones into ​Israel, which has responded with heavy bombardment across ‌the ⁠country.
        The rate of displacement being observed is faster than that seen in the previous 2023-2024 war between Hezbollah and Israel, said UNHCR. Some 886,000 people were displaced inside the country during the previous conflict, and tens of thousands of Israelis had been evacuated from northern towns bordering Lebanon. 
        The large spike of displacement seen this week in Lebanon is due to several large-scale evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army for southern Lebanon and Beirut's densely populated southern suburbs, which the U.N. human rights chief on Friday (March 6) said raised serious concerns ​under international law. 
        Some 120,000 people are staying in government designated shelters, while others are still looking for somewhere to stay, UNHCR said, citing government figures.
        Speaking at the same briefing, Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO Representative in Lebanon said that at least 84 children have been killed and 259 injured in the conflict, out of a total of 486 people that have been killed in the conflict, and 1313 injured. 
        "One reason why we have a high number of children is that most of the attacks that we see actually is, it's urban centres, like in Beirut," Abubakar said. 
        The WHO warned that Lebanon's hospitals and front line responders are under "extraordinary strain" trying to manage the rising number of patients. 
        Five of Lebanon's hospitals are now out of service, four hospitals are partially damaged, and 43 primary health care centres are closed - mostly in the south, which has been largely evacuated, Abubakar said. 
    (Production: Cecile Mantovani)
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