The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned the killing of three children from the same family in an airstrike carried out by Israeli forces on the city of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, describing the targeting of civilians, particularly children, as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
In a statement, the organisation said: “Targeting children is unacceptable and cannot be justified. No child should ever have to pay with their life for a conflict. Hostilities must cease immediately to ensure the protection of every child.”
On Sunday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the airstrike on Bint Jbeil had resulted in the deaths of five civilians, including three children, marking a new violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in November 2024.
According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, the targeting of civilians and children constitutes a war crime. International humanitarian law explicitly prohibits indiscriminate or deliberate attacks against civilian populations.
Moreover, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), ratified by Lebanon and the vast majority of countries worldwide, obliges signatories to protect children from the effects of armed conflict and guarantees their right to life and safety.
However, according to official Lebanese sources, since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli occupation has committed more than 4,500 violations, resulting in at least 276 deaths and 613 injuries. The Israeli occupation also continues to control five Lebanese hills since the last war, as well as other areas occupied for decades, in blatant defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 1701.
The killing of children in Bint Jbeil underscores the gravity of the ongoing violations against civilians in Lebanon and highlights the urgent need for serious international action to stop these repeated assaults and ensure accountability for war crimes.
