Eleven children killed or injured every 24 hours in Lebanon, UN says

Eleven children have been killed or injured on average every 24 hours in Lebanon over the past week, the UN children's agency UNICEF said on Friday, as Israeli strikes expanded across the country despite a ceasefire.

A total of 77 children were killed or injured in the last seven days, according to figures provided by Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health.

How many children have been killed or injured in Lebanon since the ceasefire?

Since the ceasefire began on April 16, 55 children have been killed and 212 injured in Lebanon, according to UNICEF. In the past seven days alone, 77 children were killed or injured, an average of 11 every 24 hours.

UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires called on all parties to fully respect the ceasefire.

What has UNICEF said about the strikes on Lebanon?

Pires said that under international humanitarian law, "children and civilian infrastructure must be protected." The ceasefire, announced by Washington, was intended to halt fighting between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah that has raged since March 2.

Heavy Israeli strikes hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday, after Israel declared a new area of the south a combat zone, and Israel also struck a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Thursday.

What is the toll on Lebanon's healthcare system?

The UN's World Health Organization said on Friday that the expansion of military activities raised grave health concerns for the Lebanese population. Since the ceasefire took effect, 27 attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon have been reported, resulting in 25 deaths and 42 injuries.

A total of 16 hospitals and 13 primary healthcare centers have been damaged in those attacks, the WHO added.