Over the weekend, violence escalated dramatically across the Middle East and the wider region — and children are already paying the price.
Save the Children is appalled by reports that more than 100 children were killed at an Iranian school, and that countless more lives have been lost and injured during retaliatory strikes on neighboring countries, leading to regional volatility. Schools and hospitals — places meant to protect and nurture children — are being used as collateral.
We cannot accept that this unconscionable violence has become routine.
Children should never bear the cost of conflict. When schools are struck and hospitals are overwhelmed, they lose their safety and stability overnight.
Children across the Middle East are experiencing this crisis not as a distant conflict but as an immediate threat to their safety and daily lives. Many are sheltering with their families, unable to move freely. Schools have been forced to close, disrupting children's daily routines and sense of safety, and undermining their learning continuity during what should be a stable school year. Civilian casualties have been reported across the region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
I’ve seen firsthand how the effects linger after the cameras stop rolling. Fear and trauma can shape a child’s future long after the immediate danger passes, leaving lasting scars.
Save the Children is urgently calling on all parties to act now to protect children. Not tomorrow. Now. Every hour of delay is another child's life — or future — at risk. We call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities, uphold their obligations under international law and ensure that schools, hospitals and the children within them do not become targets. They never should be.
Our teams are already responding in Lebanon and Jordan, and we have released vital assistance from our Humanitarian Fund to rush aid to communities impacted by this horrific violence. We’re supporting shelters with non-food items and core emergency relief items to ensure children and families have access to essential supplies.
When violence erupts or disaster strikes, we rely on the compassion and strength of supporters like you to act immediately. I hope you’ll consider making a donation to the Children’s Emergency Fund so we can move quickly when children need us most — delivering lifesaving assistance, protecting children from harm and helping them begin to recover.
Please make a gift today to power emergency responses for children in crisis zones in the Middle East and around the world. 
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