Toronto, March 5, 2026 – Save the Children warned the orders issued to up to 500,000 people in southern Beirut could result in a humanitarian catastrophe.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Regional Director, said:
‘Forced displacement strips children of almost everything that keeps them safe: shelter, education, community and routine. In their place come fear and the risk of violence, abuse and exploitation.
‘A forced relocation without any guarantees of safety or return and without providing for the needs of the population would amount to a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
‘We urge world leaders to take immediate action to prevent a full-scale attack on a densely populated city. Every diplomatic lever must be pulled to prevent a mass killing of children.
‘We failed to protect the children of Gaza. We cannot fail the children of Lebanon. No child should ever have to pay the price for a conflict they did not create.’
ENDS
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