This is the reality of life for millions of children facing war in the Middle East

As tensions continue to escalate between Israel, the United States, and Iran, headlines focus on airstrikes, economic consequences and geopolitics. But across the Middle East, children are bracing for something else; the loss of safety, stability and any sense of a predictable future.

War Child’s latest analysis estimates that more than 102 million children across the region could now be at risk if violence continues to escalate. That number is almost too large to comprehend. But for us, this is not an abstract figure. It represents the children our teams work with every day. In Lebanon, in the occupied Palestinian territory, and in communities across the region already exhausted by years of conflict.

I am writing this from Lebanon, where overnight Israeli airstrikes have once again forced families to flee at short notice. Latest figures tell us that over 290,000 children in Lebanon alone have been displaced. When displacement happens suddenly, children lose more than their homes. They lose their schools, their routines and their sense of safety. Parents and carers – including our own teams – struggle to reassure the children in their lives while grappling with their own fear.

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Schools are often used as shelters in moments like this. But classrooms are not designed to protect families from active conflict. When education is interrupted, the consequences can last for years. Prolonged disruption increases the risk of permanent dropout, child labour, early marriage, as well as exploitation. For children who have already experienced war, each new crisis compounds trauma that they haven’t yet had the chance to process.

In Gaza, the devastation is already profound. More than 20,000 children have already been killed, and one million more are left deeply traumatised by their experiences. Amid the escalations between Israel, the US, and Iran, children remain without safe homes, consistent access to education or adequate mental health support. Borders have closed yet again, cutting off vital lifelines for families who have endured months of bombardment and displacement. Even during periods described as “ceasefires”, children continue to live with fear and uncertainty.

In the West Bank, heightened movement restrictions and violence are limiting access to schools, healthcare and essential services. Across the Middle East, from Lebanon to Yemen, and Afghanistan, humanitarian systems are stretched thin. A wider regional confrontation risks overwhelming them entirely.We know from decades of working with children affected by war that the impact does not end when the bombs stop falling. Violence leaves deep mental scars. Even distant explosions can re-traumatise a child who has previously fled conflict. Anxiety, nightmares, withdrawal and aggression are common responses to sustained insecurity.

Without proper support, these effects can shape a child’s development for years to come.

One of the children our teams have spoken to is 13-year-old Karim, who was recently displaced with his family in Lebanon. Karim told us; “My younger sister was crying because my mother was telling her to hurry, and she did not understand why everyone was shouting… I knew something bad was happening because my parents were not talking normally.”

“I took my school bag,” he added. “But there were no books inside. I just took it because I did not know what else to take.”

In the shelter, the family says, the hardest part is not only what they lost when they left, but what daily life has become for them since. They are sharing a room with a dozen other people. There is no privacy. Sleep has become a luxury. Water is limited.

When speaking about her child, the mother of this particular family told us Karim “sleeps in his clothes… Sometimes with his shoes on.”

“I do not sleep deeply,” Karim told us. “I feel like if something happens again, I need to be ready.” No child should have to constantly be ready to flee like this.

International humanitarian law exists to protect civilians and limit suffering in times of war. Yet across the region, we have witnessed an alarming erosion of compliance.

Civilian casualties, damage to homes and infrastructure, and attacks affecting schools and hospitals have become disturbingly normalised. Every new escalation risks the further undermining of rules designed to shield children from the worst horrors of conflict.

Children must not be forced to pay the price of political and military decisions. They did not choose this path, yet they bear its consequences most acutely. At War Child, our teams and local partners are mobilising to respond. We are identifying where needs are greatest and scaling up support for displaced families.

That includes child protection services, specialist mental health and psychological support, and efforts to keep children connected to education wherever possible. In Lebanon alone, our teams are working in 40 shelters so far to respond to the surge in displaced children, having distributed 19,594 meals to 5,288 people.These interventions are not luxuries. They are essential to safeguarding children’s wellbeing and long-term prospects, ensuring they have the tools they need to rebuild for a brighter future.

But humanitarian organisations cannot solve this crisis alone. De-escalation is critical. Respect for international law is essential. Protection of civilians, especially children, must be prioritised by all parties.

When conflicts widen, it is easy for individual lives to disappear into statistics. It’s important to remember that behind the figure of 102 million are children who want what children everywhere want: To learn, to play, to feel safe and to hope for a brighter future.

If this violence continues to intensify, an entire generation across the Middle East risks carrying the psychological impact of this moment. The choices made by leaders today will shape these children’s lives for decades.

Flutra Gorana is the Middle East regional director for War Child.

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