The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is causing immeasurable suffering and harm to millions of people.
Communities have been shattered and families – including many of our MAG colleagues in Lebanon – have been displaced. In Lebanon alone, more than 100,000 people have had to flee their homes, and hundreds have been killed and injured. An estimated 330,000-plus people have been displaced across the wider Middle East region.
The vast majority of the harm is being caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Weapons such as artillery shells, aerial bombs and rockets are designed to produce powerful blast waves and fragmentation that spread across a wide area and are inherently indiscriminate in their impact.
That’s why, when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, 90% of the casualties are civilians, resulting in lasting trauma endured by millions of girls, boys, women and men.
Beyond the immediate casualties, explosive weapons cause widespread destruction of homes, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure. Families are left homeless and entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. Damage to water systems, electricity networks, and roads can disrupt access to clean water, healthcare, and food supplies.
Civilians living under constant threat of explosions may experience long-term trauma, anxiety and fear. Children are particularly affected, often losing access to education and stable living conditions.
Even after fighting ends, unexploded ordnance can remain hidden in rubble, posing ongoing danger. These long-lasting risks make recovery and reconstruction extremely difficult for affected communities.
MAG calls for all parties to this conflict to de-escalate immediately and to follow international humanitarian law, including in relation to the protection of civilians, and to stop the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Click here to read MAG's earlier statement, published on March 2.
