Children cling to pets, favourite toys, as they flee homes in Lebanon

Children are clutching beloved pets and toys as they flee their homes in Lebanon due to the escalating conflict with the violence also cutting access to vital medical care, including for children and pregnant women, Save the Children said.

CH11546006 Close up of children's hands in a collective shelter for families forced to flee

Close up of children's hands in a collective shelter.

Over 831,000 people, including over 290,000 children, have been forcibly displaced in Lebanon in just two weeks, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Social Affairs - the equivalent to over 2,000 people every hour since the escalation started.[1]

Save the Children staff have reported that families have fled with only basic necessities, often without time to pack vital documents, clothing or medication. But some children are refusing to leave behind their most treasured items including their pets and favourite toys.

At the same time, access to critical healthcare has been disrupted. Save the Children staff said many people are now unable to reach regular dialysis treatment or ongoing cancer care. In one case, a woman was forced to give birth in her car as heavy traffic gridlocked the streets of Beirut during the rush to safety.

More than 130,000 people are now sheltering in overcrowded schools repurposed as collective shelters and sports stadiums in Beirut in difficult conditions, with over 50 people reported to be sharing one toilet, minimal access to cooking facilities and shelters lacking carpets, heaters and blankets in the cold weather. Families describe sleeping on floors with little privacy.

Approximately 118,590 people have entered Syria from Lebanon since March 2nd, with Save the Children staff reporting parents being forced to leave behind their families alongside people being stuck between checkpoints at the Syrian and Lebanese border. [2]

According to the UN up to 3.2 million people have been displaced across Iran and about 1,700 Afghans are returning from Iran into Afghanistan every day since the start of hostilities.[3]

Save the Children is distributing essential items in Lebanon and on the border with Syria such as blankets, mattresses, pillows, baby supplies, hygiene kits, water and psychological first aid.

Many people in Lebanon are now experiencing displacement for the second or third time in their lives, including families returning to the same shelters they fled to in 2024. About 20 Save the Children staff are among those who have fled their homes and others now have homes crowded with displaced relatives and friends.

Nora Ingdal, Country Director, Save the Children Lebanon, said:

"Many families were forced to flee in the middle of the night with nothing, and children miss their homes, their villages, their friends and their schools. I met a child who told me, ‘I'm not able to play here and I just want to go back to my village as soon as possible.’ One child I met clutched his blue toy car, as it was the only thing he had managed to bring from home.

"Others have brought their pets with them, unable to be parted. One family I met had their pet bird with them in its cage, knowing their 7-year-old son was very distressed without his bird and won’t sleep without him. Another family fled with their cat which keeps their son calm.

"I met one father in a shelter who bought his daughter a second-hand scooter just so she could have a distraction from the horror that is unfolding outside. To see a child playing is rare in these shelters as they attempt to grapple with their lives being flipped upside down.

"Another young man told me he did not have time to pack his university documents so now fears for his entire future.

"Each person has their own story to share, one of anxiety and heartbreak. Children feel trapped in collective shelters with limited access to basic toilet facilities, education or the space to play. Hostilities must end and children must be protected at all costs. We know children are always the most impacted in any conflict, and the psychological impacts last long after any conflict ends." Sara, 30-, a mother who has been displaced to Syria due to the escalations in Lebanon, was forced to leave her daughter with her husband in Lebanon as she had to return to Syria to care for her sick mother. She said: "My daughter is still in Lebanon, and I could not get her a passport because the cost is far beyond what I can afford."

Save the Children is urgently calling for a cessation of hostilities and for all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law to protect children from further harm. So far 850 people have been killed in Lebanon including 103 children, according to the Ministry of Health.

Save the Children is responding across the region, with programmes in Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In oPt, we are maintaining emergency cash assistance where markets allow and keeping mother-baby areas open to support infant and maternal nutrition. In Syria, we are scaling-up delivery of food, cash assistance, child protection, mental health support, education, water and sanitation programmes and health/nutrition services for people arriving from Lebanon.   

ENDS