Beirut — Twenty-two children have been killed and 89 injured during the first 25 days of the Lebanon ceasefire, according to Save the Children, raising urgent questions about the viability of the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
The figures, reported by Al Jazeera and citing Lebanon's Health Ministry, represent an average of more than four children killed or injured daily since the temporary ceasefire began on April 16. The humanitarian organization published its findings on May 12, detailing civilian casualties that have persisted despite the cessation agreement.
Nora Ingdal, Save the Children's director in Lebanon, said "attacks on civilians have not stopped – it has simply continued under another name."
The casualty toll among children forms part of a broader pattern of violence that has killed approximately 2,900 people since hostilities escalated on March 2. Nearly 200 children have died overall in this period, according to the Health Ministry data.
In this region, today's headline is yesterday's history repeating.
The April 16 ceasefire, described as temporary, was meant to halt direct combat between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah. Yet Israel claims its air force "hit more than 1,100 sites across Lebanon" targeting Hezbollah infrastructure since mid-April—strikes that have continued to exact a civilian toll.
Direct talks between the parties are scheduled in Washington this week, though the persistence of strikes during the ceasefire raises doubts about the prospects for a durable agreement.
The humanitarian crisis has displaced over one million people, with 125,000 currently living in collective shelters. Children comprise 44,800 of those sheltered—36 percent of the total—living in conditions that aid organizations warn increase the risk of disease outbreaks.
A 10-year-old displaced child named Tala told Save the Children: "I just want the war to end so I can go home...study and play again."
The pattern reflects a longstanding challenge in Lebanese conflicts: ceasefires that exist on paper while violence continues on the ground. The 2006 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, for instance, technically remains in effect despite periodic clashes over the past two decades.
Save the Children's methodology relies on figures from Lebanon's Health Ministry, though the organization did not detail independent verification processes. The Ministry has historically provided casualty data during conflicts, though access to conflict zones and the fog of war often complicate real-time accuracy.
Israeli officials have not directly addressed the child casualty figures but maintain that their strikes target Hezbollah military infrastructure. The group, which functions as both a political party and armed militia in Lebanon, has embedded operations in civilian areas—a factor that complicates efforts to distinguish military from civilian targets.
The ongoing strikes during a declared ceasefire undermine confidence in diplomatic processes and raise questions about the international community's ability to enforce agreements between Israel and armed groups in neighboring states. The scheduled talks in Washington will test whether external mediation can succeed where bilateral agreements have faltered.
For now, the daily toll on Lebanese children continues, ceasefire or not.
