More than 100 million children at risk in Middle East conflict, charity fears

As many as 102 million children are at risk across the Middle East as the conflict between Israel/the US and Iran escalates, according to War Child.

The international children’s charity warned youngsters are bearing the cost of political and military decisions as the threat of wider regional conflict grows. 

In Lebanon, fresh violence has triggered sudden displacement, disrupting children’s access to education and increases risks of family separation, exploitation and trauma.  

Similarly, in Gaza, children remain without safe homes, reliable access to schooling and adequate mental health support, while the border closures have cut off access to vital lifelines.  

Rapid displacement disrupts not just schooling, but children’s safety, stability and long-term prospects, the charity warned.

Flutra Gorana, Middle East regional director for War Child, said: “We’re not reading about this in the news, we are living it. Crisis after crisis is affecting children’s lives across the region, robbing them of their safety, learning, and sense of future.” 

Conflict and violence will have a long-term psychological impact on children, for many even distant explosions can retraumatise those who have already lived through war, said Angela Huddleston, War Child’s regional humanitarian manager – Middle East, for War Child.

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War Child is urgently calling on all parties to de-escalate, respect international law and prioritise the protection of children and families.

“Thousands of Afghan refugee children who have spent their lives in Iran are now at risk of being forced to flee to a country they don’t know,” said Huddleston.

“The escalation of the conflict between Israel, the US, and Iran puts the futures of millions of children across the Middle East at risk, and is a very real threat to child protection, education, welfare and aid being provided to children across the region who have already faced unimaginable levels of trauma over their lifetime.”

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