GENEVA, May 29 (Reuters) – Eleven children have been killed or injured on average every 24 hours in Lebanon over the past week, the UN children’s agency said on Friday, as Israel stepped up attacks across the country despite a ceasefire.
Heavy Israeli strikes hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday, after Israel declared a new swath of the area as a combat zone. The attack also hit a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday.
A total of 77 children have been killed or injured in the last seven days, Unicef said, citing figures provided by Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. Since the ceasefire began on April 16, 55 children have been killed and 212 injured, according to the agency.
Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires called on all parties to fully respect the ceasefire.
‘Under international humanitarian law, children and civil infrastructure need to be protected,’ he said.
The ceasefire announced by Washington aimed to stop the fighting that has been taking place between Israeli troops and Hezbollah, supported by Iran, since March 2.
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The World Health Organization also stated on Friday that the threat of expanding military activities has raised serious concerns about the health of the Lebanese population.
Since the ceasefire came into force, a total of 27 attacks on health facilities have been recorded in Lebanon, resulting in 25 deaths and 42 injuries, according to the WHO, adding that 16 hospitals and 13 primary health centers were damaged in the attacks.
