The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon has deepened amid the wider Middle East war: 84 children have been killed and more than 667,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, two UN agencies reported.

According to the World Health Organization, a total of 486 people have been killed and 1,313 wounded, including 259 children. "This is only a seven-day conflict and we are already seeing that almost 100 children have lost their lives," said Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO representative in Lebanon, noting that the high number of child casualties is linked to most attacks hitting urban centers such as Beirut.

Current internal displacement levels in Lebanon exceed those of the 2023–2024 war between Hezbollah and Israel, UNHCR reported on Tuesday. The sharp rise in displaced persons this week is linked to large-scale IDF evacuation orders for southern Lebanon and the densely populated southern suburbs of Beirut. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that these measures raise serious concerns under international law.

WHO warned that Lebanon's hospitals and emergency services are under "extreme strain" trying to cope with the growing number of patients: 5 hospitals are fully closed, 4 are partially damaged, and 43 primary healthcare centers are closed, mainly in the south, which has been almost entirely evacuated.

"Many people fleeing now already left their homes in 2024. We have met many whose homes were completely destroyed, family members killed. People are not waiting to see what happens next. They leave immediately," said Carolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR representative in Lebanon. Around 120,000 people are in government shelters, while others are still searching for accommodation. "We see cars along streets where people are sleeping, and people on pavements," Billing added.