Children bear brunt of Lebanon-Israeli war: report

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Children face serious health
problems in the coming months as a result of the Lebanon-Israel
conflict in which about a third of those killed or wounded were
youngsters, a U.S. medical charity said on Tuesday.

California-based International Medical Corps, or IMC, which
has been giving medical help in Lebanon, said that a
“disproportionately high” number of children were victims of
the month-long conflict, particularly in Lebanon.

Citing U.N. statistics, the IMC said more than 300 children
were killed in Lebanon and 1,000 wounded while a further half
million youngsters were displaced by battles between Hizbollah
guerrillas and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry names eight Israeli children
killed by Hizbollah rockets, including two 18-year olds. The
total Israeli death toll is estimated at more than 150. It is
unclear how many Israeli children were wounded.

“We are particularly horrified by the impact this crisis is
having on children,” said IMC president Nancy Aossey, referring
to children on both side of the conflict.

A fragile truce is in place following a U.N. resolution
last Friday to end the fighting, but the IMC predicted the
conflict would exacerbate childhood diseases, such as measles,
in Lebanon.

“Diarrhea and respiratory illnesses, which were rampant in
Lebanon during the earlier civil war, are expected to
resurface,” added the group, referring to .

Doctors from the IMC have noticed marked behavioral changes
in children living in the conflict zone, with an increase in
nightmares and sleep disturbances.

Many displaced adolescents and children were taking on the
role of providers and becoming preoccupied with acquiring
supplies, the group said.

“This has brought on increased incidents of violence and
quarreling with conflicts about food, water and clothing
occurring between refugee and internally displaced children who
are standing in distribution lines,” said the group.

The IMC estimated there were about 135,000 displaced people
living in schools, camps and other public sites in Lebanon and
that about 470,000 had sought refuge with friends and
relatives.

A further 180,000 had fled to neighboring Syria, with about
a third of those sheltering in public areas such as schools.

With so many children displaced and no longer near schools,
the IMC said the academic year set to start in a few weeks
would be seriously disrupted.

In Syria, some Lebanese families were refusing to leave
schools where they had taken shelter and this would disrupt the
new academic year for the local population, too.

Those returning home after the violence face the danger of
thousands of unexploded bombs. The IMC estimates up to 300
unexploded bombs could have landed in the conflict zone a day.

Land mines are another danger, with about 500,000 in
southern Lebanon alone, the report said.