BEIRUT – Lebanon’s deepening crises are having a “devastating” impact on children and their education, a United Nations agency said on Wednesday, warning of additional pressure as the war between Israel and Hamas spills into the country.

According to the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, more than a quarter of households surveyed last month reported their children were out of school, compared with 18% in April.

In Syrian refugee households, the number rose to more than half, the report said, adding that “the cost of educational materials” was the most commonly cited barrier to participation.

For four years, Lebanon has been hit by a severe economic crisis that has driven most of the population into poverty.

About 16% of families and a third of Syrian refugees sent school-aged children to work, the report said, while more than 80% of households “had to borrow money or buy on credit to buy essential food.”

“Lebanon’s ongoing and worsening crises… are wreaking havoc on children nationwide, increasingly depriving them of their education and forcing many into child labor,” the UNICEF report said.

“Desperate parents struggling with ever-dwindling resources are forced to wage a heartbreaking battle to keep their families afloat amidst unrelenting challenges.”

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, deadly exchanges of fire have occurred on the Lebanon-Israel border, particularly between the Israeli army and the Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, raising fears of a wider conflict and leaving thousands dead caused people to flee the border areas.

“Several dozen schools in the southern part of Lebanon have been closed… affecting more than 6,000 students,” the report said, noting that “school attendance is minimal at schools that remain open.”

UNICEF also warned of the emotional impact of the crises, saying: “The deprivation and insecurity are leaving children hungry, anxious or depressed.”

About 38% of households reported their children were anxious, the agency said. In parts of southern Lebanon near cross-border hostilities and with nearly half of Palestinian refugee children, the figure rose to 46%.

“The survey also shows that 34% of children in Lebanon believe their lives will be worse in a year,” the UNICEF report said.

The agency called on Lebanese authorities to “take strong measures to support, protect and ensure essential services for all children.”

The severe crises are “destroying children’s dreams and depriving them of their learning, their happiness and their future,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF representative in Lebanon.