Save the Children, 300 thousand children fled from Lebanon to Syria

(ANSA) – ROME, NOV 13 – Around 300,000 children have fled from Lebanon to Syria in the last seven weeks due to the worsening of the conflict with Israel: the NGO Save the Children announced this in a statement. Many children travel alone, separated from their parents or families, are at risk of abuse, illness and suffer from food shortages as winter looms, the statement said. It is estimated that 70% of those displaced from Lebanon to Syria are Syrian, while the rest are Lebanese or other nationalities. The United Nations estimates that around 60% are children and adolescents, many of whom are in “desperate need of medical care, shelter, food and water.” At least 1.2 million people in Lebanon – a fifth of the total population – have been displaced since the violence escalated, including many of the Syrian refugees (around 1.5 million in total) who have found refuge in Lebanon since the start of the conflict in their country, 13 years ago. According to Save the Children, more than 72% of the population in Syria, or around 16.7 million people, are in need of assistance – the highest number since the crisis began in 2011. 45% are children. (HANDLE).