Children should be off limits in war.

Escalating conflict in the Middle East and wider region has triggered a rapidly expanding crisis, leaving children's lives and rights hanging in the balance. 

Hundreds have already paid the heaviest price with their lives. Many more have been ripped from their homes, schools and sense of safety. 

Over 300 children have been killed – the equivalent to 10 classrooms full of children.

At least 100 million children living in countries directly impacted by the escalating violence in the Middle East and wider region are in grave danger of both physical and mental harm — and displacement.

Many children in the region have already endured years of violence, conflict and insecurity and are now being plunged back into fear, facing the risk of death, injury and displacement.  

The violence must end before children suffer irreparable harm.

We’re urgently calling for an end to the hostilities to protect children from further harm. Until hostilities de-escalate, upholding the rules of war is an obligation, not a choice. Wars have laws and children must be off limits.    

ALL CHILDREN MUST BE PROTECTED. ALL CHILDREN DESERVE PEACE.

ACROSS THE REGION, THE PLACES WHERE CHILDREN LEARN, LIVE AND PLAY HAVE COME UNDER ATTACK.

How is the crisis impacting children and their rights across the region?

At least 100 million children are living in countries directly impacted by the escalating violence in the Middle East and wider region. They are in grave danger of both physical and mental harm — and displacement.

  • In Iran, at least 202 children have been killed.
  • In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes have killed 634 people in total, including 111 children and injured at least 1,500 more. Around 1.3 million people, including some 455,000 children have been displaced, with shelters overstretched and the number of people changing daily.
  • A further 134,100 people have also crossed the border from Lebanon into Syria – in many cases to communities that are still shattered from decades of conflict.   
  • In Gaza and the West Bank, the recent escalation has also compounded the situation for children and families. Since the Government of Israel announced the closure of all crossings into the Gaza Strip on February 28, one has now reopened, allowing a trickling of aid to re-enter, but nothing on the scale that is required.
  • In the West Bank, Palestinian children and families are facing increasingly severe movement restrictions, leaving many unable to access to basic services and severely limiting humanitarian organisations’ ability to reach communities in need.
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Children were already paying the highest price in wars worldwide, and the escalating conflict in the Middle East is only deepening the crisis, with hundreds killed, thousands displaced, and millions living in fear. 
What our teams are seeing and hearing is devastating.
More than 200 children have been killed in the first week, according to official and media reports. Across the region, children are terrified - unable to sleep as sirens sound or blasts shake the walls around them. 

Read the full statement

Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International

Our response

Save the Children is urgently responding.

We've already released $2.5 million from our Emergency Fund to countries across the region to scale up responses and carry out contingency planning, as well as meet existing needs in contexts already facing humanitarian crises. 

  • In Lebanon, we have already reached over 33,000 people with critical support. Our teams are distributing hygiene kits, baby kits, mattresses and blankets across 88 camps to families displaced by the latest airstrikes and forced displacement orders. We are preparing to provide food parcels and scale up support across education, healthcare, child protection, water and sanitation, and shelter to reach children wherever they are forced to flee.
  • In Syria, we are at the border between the northern Beqaa valley and Homs governorate, working with partners to support children and families arriving from Lebanon, many of whom are arriving with little more than the barest essentials.
  • We’re also carrying out essential contingency planning to scale up in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen and Türkiye.

Save the Children’s Emergency Fund means we can act as soon as a crisis hits and deliver lifesaving support wherever it is needed, when it matters most. It allows us to move quickly and distribute emergency supplies, protecting children from harm, supporting families forced to flee, and helping children cope with trauma.

Save the Children staff distribute mattresses and bedding to forcibly displaced families

Save the Children staff distribute drinking water, mattresses and bedding to families forced to flee their homes in Lebanon. Save the Children

What we're calling for

  • Save the Children is calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities to avert a humanitarian catastrophe, widespread displacement, environmental devastation and severe physical and psychological harm to a generation of children.
  • Until then, while hostilities are ongoing, the laws of war must be followed. All parties must take urgent measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Children must be off limits.
  • Save the Children is calling on the Government of Israel to fully re-open all crossings to ensure that children and their families can receive life-saving assistance.    

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Three years after the devastating February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye, life in Hatay continues to be shaped by loss, adaptation, and resilience. For Semra* (28) and her family from Antakya, the period since the earthquake has brought displacement, uncertainty, and profound change, alongside solidarity, recovery, and new beginnings. Like many families in Hatay, Semra and her children continue to live in a temporary settlement. While three years may sound like a number, in the lives of children and families it can mean significant change, sometimes even the arrival of a new life. In these challenging living conditions, Save the Children Türkiye continues to stand alongside families, supporting children to remain safe, access education, and maintain their well-being throughout prolonged displacement. After initially sheltering in a tent, Semra, her husband, and their children moved into a container settlement in September 2023, where they still live today. Co-established with the support of Save the Children and partner organizations, the container city has become more than a temporary shelter. With an on-site school, child-friendly spaces, playgrounds, basketball and volleyball courts, and a study center, it has evolved into a place where children can learn, play, and begin to feel safe again. The family has three children: Arda* (10), Selin* (9), and Melih*, a baby born six months ago, two and a half years after the earthquake. Melih’s arrival marked an emotional turning point for the family. Born in the container settlement, he is affectionately referred to by neighbors as the “container’s baby,” a symbol of both the hardships of displacement and the strong sense of solidarity formed within the community. For Semra, motherhood after the earthquake carries a very different meaning. While her older children were born before the disaster, in a city environment and an apartment with more stable living conditions, Melih was born into a much more constrained space. Despite the limited physical environment, Semra describes this phase of motherhood as more conscious and emotionally deeper, shaped by collective care, shared experiences, and the support she received from neighbors throughout her pregnancy and after birth. Even within the constraints of container life, she speaks of resilience, solidarity, and the importance of staying strong, for herself, her children, and her baby. As she explains: “It was my children who kept me going. If a mother does not stay strong, everything else falls apart. That’s why you always have to stay strong.” Living in a small container brings daily challenges, including limited space, interrupted sleep, and difficulties studying at home, especially with a newborn. However, access to education, safe spaces, and community support has helped the family rebuild a sense of normalcy. Arda and Selin attend the on-site school, regularly use the study center to complete their homework, and participate in child-friendly activities that support their learning, well-being, and self-confidence. As Arda explains, “It’s difficult to study at home because my baby sibling cries. That’s why we come to the study center with my friends. I like school, school is life for me.” Selin adds, “I like going to school and playing with my friends. When we draw, read books, and play outside, I feel happy.” Like Semra’s family, hundreds of families in the earthquake affected region continue to live in temporary settlements. Their experience highlights that in humanitarian crises of this scale, emergency assistance alone is not sufficient; long-term recovery and sustained, child-centred support are critical. Their story reflects recovery not as a single moment, but as an ongoing process, where education, safe spaces, and continued humanitarian support enable children not only to cope, but also to imagine and work toward a better future. Ayşe Nur Gençalp / Save the Children Türkiye

Emergencies
A severely damaged school in Khan Younis, Gaza

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Education is under attack in the occupied Palestinian territory