War in the Middle East: Attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities equate to ‘a class of children’ being killed and injured every day in Lebanon

“The recent escalation has killed or injured the equivalent of one class of children every day,” said Ted Chaiban, deputy head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon includes 31 health workers, according to the latest flash update issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).

Meanwhile, ongoing resettlement orders encourage repeated population movements, with over 1.2 million people were displacedincluding 134,439 internally displaced people in 636 collective shelters, mainly in Beirut and Mount Lebanon amid increasing shelter shortages and protection risks.

Attacks on health services

Attacks on health and human services workers continue to rise, according to new reports. Dozens of people were injured as a result of repeated attacks on hospitals, ambulances and medical transport.

Five hospitals and 49 community health centers are no longer operatingseverely restricted access to life-saving services as mass casualty incidents occurred in various provinces.

Humanitarian personnel have also been affected, with a recent attack in Baalbek killing a local humanitarian worker and two children. These attacks raise grave concerns over respect for international humanitarian law, which explicitly protects medical personnel, facilities and humanitarian personnel, OCHA said.

Increased hostilities in the field

Hostilities are also escalating on the ground, OCHA said, citing increased military activity south of the Litani River, with exchanges of fire along the Blue Line, signaling a growing threat to the protection of communities in high-risk areas.

The attacks in Zkak el Blat and Basta resulted in further casualties, including the murder of a journalist and her partner, marking the first reported murder of a reporter in Lebanon since the escalation of the conflict on 2 March.

OCHA said the deaths raised serious concerns regarding the protection of civilians and media personnel.

Displacement is increasing

The dynamics of population movement remain very fluid and complex, OCHA reports.

Repeated and expanded evacuation orders now cover most of southern Lebanon, parts of Beirut, border villages and the Bekaa and trigger multiple, secondary and tertiary displacements.

Displacement orders in areas such as Beirut’s southern suburbs, local orders for buildings or neighborhoods, as well as broader displacement orders affecting villages continue to force people to flee.

Overburdened shelters

Collective shelters are already overwhelmed, and many report overcrowding, limited electricity, lack of heating and inadequate privacy, according to recent reports.

Schools continue to be severely impacted, with a total of 472 educational buildings being used as collective shelters, limiting access to education for thousands of students.

Some children have returned to the same schools where they previously sheltered during the 2024 escalation, adding to the long-term disruption caused by Lebanon’s economic collapse, the Beirut Port explosion and the COVID19 pandemic.

Air strikes destroy infrastructure

Damage to critical infrastructure continues to hamper humanitarian access.

Israeli airstrikes have destroyed or damaged roads, crossings and bridges, water pipelines and at least five fuel stations in southern Lebanon. The disruption is further hampering the delivery of vital humanitarian aid, the UN aid agency warned.

Humanitarian actors reaffirmed respect for international humanitarian law. Civilians, including journalists, must always be protected. Medical personnel, health facilities, ambulances, patients and civilians are explicitly protected under international law and should not be targeted.

Protection of civilians and unimpeded humanitarian access remain critical to preventing further loss of life and alleviating human suffering, OCHA said.

Iran: Nuclear facilities attacked

The head of the UN-backed nuclear agency reported early Saturday that Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility had been bombed amid ongoing attacks across the country by Israel and the United States and retaliatory attacks by Tehran around the Gulf.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) repeated his call “for military restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.”

This UN-backed body is tasked with ensuring cooperation in the nuclear field and promoting the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology.

“The IAEA has been informed by Iran that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked today,” the agency wrote, adding that “no increases in off-site radiation levels were reported.”

The bombing was the fourth targeted attack on nuclear facilities in Iran since the start of the US-Israel offensive.

UN agencies warn of increasing hunger and displacement

UN agencies warn that the ongoing war has displaced millions of people.

World Food Program (WFP) said 45 million people will face extreme hunger if the war continues and fuel prices continue to rise.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency, UNHCRsaid the widespread impact of the war had led to massive displacement, as people fled widespread violence in the region.

“Amid increasing hostilities in Iran, thousands of Afghans are returning to Afghanistan,” UNHCR said on Saturday.

“For many families, this is another cycle of displacement, but the countries they return to are already facing multiple crises,” the agency said, stressing that “they urgently need support.”

Indeed, the war’s ripple effects are already being felt inside and far beyond the region, UN agencies say.

Read our story about how the war affected countries in Asia Here.