Children bear brunt of Lebanon-Israeli war-report

WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) Children face serious health problems in the coming months as a result of the Lebanon-Israel conflict in which about a third of those killed or wounded were youngsters, a US medical charity said yesterday.

California-based International Medical Corps, or IMC, which has been giving medical help in Lebanon, said that a ''disproportionately high'' number of children w re victims of the month-long conflict, particularly in Lebanon.

Citing UN statistics, the IMC said more than 300 children were killed in Lebanon and 1,000 wounded while a further half million youngsters were displaced by battles between Hizbollah guerrillas and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry names eight Israeli children killed by Hizbollah rockets, including two 18-year olds. The total Israeli death toll is estimated at more than 150. It is unclear how many Israeli children were wounded.

''We are particularly horrified by the impact this crisis is having on children,'' said IMC president Nancy Aossey, referring to children on both side of the conflict.

A fragile truce is in place following a UN resolution last Friday to end the fighting, but the IMC predicted the conflict would exacerbate childhood diseases, such as measles, in Lebanon.

''Diarrhea and respiratory illnesses, which were rampant in Lebanon during the earlier civil war, are expected to resurface,'' added the group, referring to.

Doctors from the IMC have noticed marked behavioral changes in children living in the conflict zone, with an increase in nightmares and sleep disturbances.

Many displaced adolescents and children were taking on the role of providers and becoming preoccupied with acquiring supplies, the group said.

''This has brought on increased incidents of violence and quarreling with conflicts about food, water and clothing occurring between refugee and internally displaced children who are standing in distribution lines,'' said the group.

The IMC estimated there were about 135,000 displaced people living in schools, camps and other public sites in Lebanon and that about 470,000 had sought refuge with friends and relatives.

A further 180,000 had fled to neighboring Syria, with about a third of those sheltering in public areas such as schools.

With so many children displaced and no longer near schools, the IMC said the academic year set to start in a few weeks would be seriously disrupted.

In Syria, some Lebanese families were refusing to leave schools where they had taken shelter and this would disrupt the new academic year for the local population, too.

Those returning home after the violence face the danger of thousands of unexploded bombs. The IMC estimates up to 300 unexploded bombs could have landed in the conflict zone a day.

Land mines are another danger, with about 500,000 in southern Lebanon alone, the report said.

REUTERS SKU ND0904