UNICEF says any further escalation would be 'catastrophic' for all children in Lebanon

ADDS REMARKS FROM HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE, WHO, UNHCR

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - UNICEF on Tuesday warned that any further escalation between Israel and Hezbollah would be "catastrophic" for all children in Lebanon and called for an immediate de-escalation.

"On Monday alone, at least 35 children were reportedly killed in Lebanon. This is more than the number of children killed in Lebanon in the past 11 months. Eleven months in one day. 35 children, in one day among 492 reportedly killed," UNICEF deputy representative to Lebanon Ettie Higgins told a UN press briefing in Geneva on Israeli airstrikes.

Noting that over 1,645 people were also injured during those airstrikes, Higgins stressed that "more children are in danger as I speak, exposed to ongoing attacks, displaced from their homes and unable to rely on an overstretched and under-sourced health system."

"If we return to a conflict, like those dark days of 2006, I fear this time could be even worse for the children of Lebanon," she said.

She underlined that families in Lebanon are already "at the brink" due to economic and political crisis.

"Any further escalation in this conflict would be catastrophic for all children in Lebanon, but especially families from villages and towns in the south and the Bekaa, in Eastern Lebanon, who have been forced to leave their homes," the UNICEF official said.

She noted that these newly displaced add to the 112,000 people who have been displaced since October.

"Yesterday was Lebanon’s worst day in 18 years," she said. "This violence has to stop immediately, or the consequences will be unconscionable."

- Incidents that killed, injured any civilians 'potentially in violation of international law'

The UN human rights office said it is "extremely alarmed" by the by the "sharp" escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and urged all parties to immediately cease the violence and to ensure the protection of civilians.

"Incidents in which any civilians – including children and medical workers – are killed or seriously injured, potentially in violation of international law, must be subject to independent, thorough, and transparent investigations into the circumstances of the attacks," spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told the briefing.

Shamdasani said all parties to an armed conflict "must at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives."

The laws of war also oblige all parties to observe the principle of proportionality, she added.

UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said the humanitarian consequences of the conflict are "devastating."

"Tens of thousands of people have now been forced from their homes, fleeing yesterday and through the night, and the number continues to grow," said Saltmarsh. "This is in a region that has already been devastated by war and a country that knows suffering all too well."

The toll on civilians is "unacceptable," he said and underscored the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon must be paramount.

"International humanitarian law must be upheld. An end to the hostilities is urgently needed," he said.

- More than 90% of pager wounds on face, limbs

Abdinasir Abubakar, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Lebanon, said since Sept. 17, there have been about 582 deaths, including 40 children and four health care workers.

Additionally, nearly 6,400 have been injured, including 16 paramedics, said Abubakar.

A total of 2,078 surgeries were performed for incidents on Sept. 17, 18 and 20 and currently, 777 people are receiving treatment in hospital with 158 critical cases in intensive care, he said.

More than 90% of the pager wounds are on the face and limbs, especially hands, he said, and added that many had both eyes and hand injuries, which required two different sets of operations.

"Hospitals have been greatly challenged in managing the number of injured since last week, with thousands of wounds to bandage and surgeries to perform," he said.