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By: Isuru Parakrama
March 12, World (LNW): The deepening confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran is rapidly worsening the situation for children across the Middle East, according to the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, which warns that the consequences are becoming “catastrophic”.
In a statement released this week, the agency said that more than 1,100 children have reportedly been killed or injured since the surge in violence that began on 28 February. Preliminary figures indicate that around 200 children have died in Iran, while at least 91 fatalities involving minors have been reported in Lebanon.
Additional deaths have been recorded in Israel and Kuwait, with many more young people wounded amid ongoing strikes and clashes.
Humanitarian officials caution that these numbers are expected to rise as the conflict spreads and fighting intensifies across the region. Entire communities are experiencing repeated bombardment, forcing hundreds of thousands of families to abandon their homes and seek safety elsewhere.
Beyond the immediate casualties, the disruption to daily life has been severe. Schools in several affected areas have been forced to close, leaving millions of children without access to education. Healthcare services, water supplies and other essential systems that support families have also been damaged or interrupted.
UNICEF stressed that children are bearing a disproportionate burden of the violence. The organisation said that attacks which kill or injure minors, as well as the destruction of critical infrastructure they depend on, cannot be justified under any circumstances.
With an estimated 200 million children living across the broader Middle East, the agency urged the international community to respond swiftly, warning that delays in diplomatic and humanitarian action could deepen an already devastating crisis for the region’s youngest and most vulnerable residents.
