[Lebanon] (1) “Children Have Lost ’20 Years’ Due to Airstrikes” – A Mother’s View of the Crimes of the Lebanese Conflicts

On September 23 last year, the Israeli military carried out large-scale airstrikes in southern Lebanon. In the following days, the attacks expanded to the capital, Beirut, resulting in many casualties. In response to this crisis, Peace Winds has been providing emergency aid. However, the people of Lebanon are facing not only these recent attacks but also long-standing humanitarian crises caused by political turmoil, corruption, the influx of refugees from Syria, and conflicts with Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim organization.
What is the current situation in Lebanon? Peace Winds photographer Simon Kondo reports on the state of Lebanon as the new year begins in January.

Despair Reigns Over Lebanon’s Capital, Beirut

Although life in Lebanons isn’t exactly affluent, it felt like the kind of everyday scene you’d see anywhere in the Middle East. But then, in the next moment, Rosie, the local staff member driving, pointed ahead.
“Look, over there. That’s where a missile hit recently.”
Suddenly, between the apartment buildings, a collapsed building came into view. It was an eerie and surreal sight, like something straight out of a movie.

This is Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Just a 20-minute drive from the bustling downtown area, this neighborhood had been one of the targets of Israeli airstrikes since September last year, due to being the headquarters of Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim organization in conflict with Israel.

On November 27, a 60-day ceasefire agreement came into effect, offering a moment of relief to residents. However, even after the ceasefire, Israeli attacks continued, particularly in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border, with reports indicating at least 29 civilian deaths. In the heart of Beirut, the eerie hum of military reconnaissance drones could still be heard overhead on that day.
The United Nations reported over 4,000 civilian casualties due to airstrikes. In areas like the heavily attacked south, the number of displaced people has reached 980,000. Although the ceasefire agreement was made in late November, the rebuilding of destroyed homes and infrastructure will take time, and as of January 2025, more than 110,000 people are still living in displacement (*1).

1) United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) |

In the heavy atmosphere inside the car, I carefully chose my words and asked Rosie.

“What was the first emotion you felt when your city was attacked?”
Rosie fell silent for a few seconds, then let out a sigh before slowly opening her mouth.

“Disappointment,” she said. “Lebanon has faced so many difficulties over the past five years. The financial crisis turned the Lebanese pound into worthless paper, and the explosion at the Beirut port left the city scarred. The economy collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for two years, we had no president, with the government in dysfunction. And then, to be bombed on top of that? It’s disappointment, not anger or some other emotional response. Just disappointment. If you think about rebuilding society and the economy, and on top of that, the reconstruction of this city, you could say that the children today have lost about ’20 years’ of time. What future is left for my child, who’s in elementary school, in Lebanon?”

The Lives of Children Desensitized to Conflict

Israeli attacks target groups unrelated to the majority of ordinary citizens in Lebanon. Rosie continues:

“We don’t have any radical ideology or a sense of conflict, but in a war zone, we suffer indirectly or directly. The children who hear the sound of drones every day don’t even say anything about it anymore. When there was a bombing alert, I called my daughter at school to ask if I should come pick her up. She just said, ‘This happens all the time, don’t come.’ It’s insane how they’ve gotten used to living in a conflict zone.”

Rosie laughed, but there was a certain coldness in her eyes.

Peace Winds, in collaboration with the local partner organization that Rosie is a part of, is currently providing food aid to people in Lebanon suffering from the conflict, including displaced persons. As of November 2024, when the ceasefire agreement came into effect, 23% of the population was facing acute food insecurity. Additionally, the recent economic collapse and sharp rise in prices have made securing food an urgent challenge for displaced persons (*2).

(*2) WFP United Nations World Food Programme | Lebanon

In the face of a long road to reconstruction, Lebanon remains in a highly unstable state, left behind by the world. (Continued in [Lebanon Today (2)])

To carry out humanitarian support activities within Lebanon, Peace Winds Japan reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and embassies abroad, collecting local security information and maintaining close cooperation with partner organizations. They ensure staff safety by securing evacuation routes in case of emergencies.

▶ Emergency Aid for the Humanitarian Crisis in Lebanon (Peace Winds Japan)