UNICEF demands urgent USD 105 mln to continue providing services in Lebanon

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched an urgent appeal on Tuesday for USD 105 million over the next three months to continue providing life-saving supplies and services in Lebanon. In a statement, the organization said that the dangerous escalation of the conflict in Lebanon has led to a deterioration in the situation of children and their needs, which has quickly outpaced the ability of humanitarian agencies to respond immediately through life-saving interventions. Since October 2023, more than 100 children have been killed, said UNICEF, adding that half of the number of deaths among children occurred in the past week alone, according to statistics from the Lebanese Ministry of Health. "Children are homeless, many are in danger, and many lives may have been changed forever by the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon," said UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Edouard Beigbeder. UNICEF called on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian support and ensure that roads remain open in Lebanon to deliver humanitarian aid, indicating that needs are rising "at a tremendous pace." Since October, Lebanon has been witnessing daily military confrontations, the intensity of which has been escalating until it reached its peak last Monday, when the occupation launched violent air strikes on various Lebanese regions, causing significant human and material damage. Source: Kuwait News Agency