War in Lebanon shatters childhoods as youth face trauma, displacement

BEIRUT: Forced to flee his home for the second time in just two years, 16-year-old Hassan Kiki says the war in Lebanon has taken away his childhood and left deep emotional scars.

“War has aged us… We have lived through what no one else has,” he said, recalling how he lost two cousins and two friends in an Israeli strike in his hometown of Shehabiyeh earlier this month.

Kiki is among more than a million people displaced since renewed hostilities erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel, prompting widespread retaliatory strikes.

The escalation has engulfed large parts of Lebanon, with continued airstrikes, ground operations near the border and evacuation warnings forcing families to flee.

For many young people, repeated cycles of violence have disrupted education and daily life. “My childhood is gone,” Kiki said. “Material losses can be made up for, but people do not come back.”

Another teenager, Zahraa Fares, who fled the southern city of Nabatiyeh, said she now feels “mentally crushed” after experiencing war at a young age. She found some relief through activities at the Lebanese National Theatre aimed at supporting war-affected youth.

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The conflict has also impacted refugees and young workers. Wassim al-Halabi, who had already fled war in Syria, said he was trying to rebuild his life when violence erupted again. “Our dreams are now on hold until the war ends,” he said.

Lebanese authorities say more than 1,000 people have been killed since early March, including at least 118 children. Experts warn that repeated exposure to violence, displacement and loss significantly increases the risk of long-term mental health issues among young people.

Psychiatrists caution that cumulative trauma and ongoing instability can lead to conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly among children who have witnessed violence, lost loved ones or been forced from their homes.

Lebanon has faced decades of instability, including the Lebanese Civil War, economic crises and the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020, leaving generations familiar with hardship.

At a solidarity gathering in Beirut, 18-year-old Laura al-Hajj questioned the burden placed on her generation. “We carried burdens that are much bigger than us… I now just worry about being alive tomorrow,” she said.

As the conflict continues, many young Lebanese say they are struggling to cope, with hopes and aspirations increasingly overshadowed by uncertainty and fear.