Civil society groups and political factions gathered in Beirut’s Martyrs’ Square to commemorate minors killed in repeated Israeli attacks, holding the Lebanon’s government responsible for the ongoing violence.

During the gathering, families carrying photographs of the victims said that September 2023 marked the deadliest period for Lebanese children, with more than 207 minors killed in bombings across the south and other regions of the country.

The groups gathered in the capital called on Lebanese authorities to formalize a case before international bodies to have the killings prosecuted as war crimes. They also rejected the government’s attempts to pursue negotiations or peace agreements with Israel, which they accuse of maintaining territorial occupation and continuing indiscriminate attacks against defenseless civilians.

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Participants further denounced the Israeli aggression carried out with the backing of United States and much of the international community, under the pretext of targeting fighters from the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah. Attendees also rejected any government attempt to monopolize the use of weapons or disarm the resistance, arguing it remains the only force defending Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence and civilian population against what they characterized as Israel’s expansionist ambitions.

A Deepening Toll

The commemorative event included a theatrical performance and the participation of Lebanese artists, among them singer Moeen Charif, who attended to honor the memory of the children killed by Israel, reaffirming what organizers described as a collective determination to continue the struggle until all occupied territory is liberated and those responsible are brought to justice.

According to official figures from Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, more than 3,400 people have been killed by Israeli hostilities since last March, including more than 800 children. The Israeli attacks has also left more than 770,000 children psychologically affected, displaced, without access to medical care, and cut off from schooling due to the widespread destruction of schools and hospitals.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) recently reported that 20% of school-age children in Lebanon have been displaced by the offensive. At least 2,500 minors remain living in emergency shelters, many of them set up inside former schools, according to the agency, which stressed that “education cannot continue to be attacked.”

The commemoration in Beirut reflects the deepening frustration among segments of Lebanese society over the government’s approach to Israel, particularly amid ongoing discussions about disarming Hezbollah and pursuing formal negotiations with Israeli authorities. For many of the families and organizations gathered at Martyrs’ Square, the push for diplomatic engagement stands in direct tension with the scale of civilian and child casualties documented since the escalation began, underscoring the deep divisions within Lebanon over how to respond to continued Israeli military action.

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