By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, May 29 (Reuters) – Eleven children have been killed or injured on average every 24 hours in Lebanon over the last week, the U.N.’s children’s agency said on Friday, as Israel has expanded strikes across the country despite a ceasefire.
Heavy Israeli strikes hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday, after Israel declared a new swathe of the area a combat zone. It also struck a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Thursday.
A total of 77 children have been killed or injured in the last seven days, UNICEF said, citing figures provided by Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. Since the ceasefire began on April 16, 55 children have been killed and 212 injured, according to the agency.
UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires called for all parties to fully respect the ceasefire.
“Under international humanitarian law, children and civilian infrastructure must be protected,” he said.
The ceasefire announced by Washington was meant to halt the fighting that has raged between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah since March 2.
The U.N.’s World Health Organization also said on Friday that the threat from the expansion of military activities raised grave health concerns for the Lebanese population.
Since the ceasefire took effect, a total of 27 attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon have been reported, resulting in 25 deaths and 42 injuries, according to the WHO. A total of 16 hospitals and 13 primary healthcare centres have been damaged in attacks, it added.
(Reporting by Olivia Le PoidevinEditing by Madeline Chambers and Joe Bavier)
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