Nathaly confronts the fear of war while missing her home

Nathaly, a 7-year-old girl, has been staying with her family in a shelter for a few days following the escalation of conflict across different areas in Lebanon. On the day they fled, she was sitting on the balcony at home while her brother was at work. All of a sudden, she heard a loud explosion. "BOOM!" she recalled. Right after that, with her family, they quickly packed their belongings and left, searching for a safe shelter.

They called her cousin, who shared with them the location of a school in Beirut that had been turned into a shelter. "The bombing happened near our house, so we packed and headed to the school. I had a cat that died from the bombing, so we buried her," Nathaly said sadly.

"Every day, I hear the frightening sound of the planes, and I ask my mom about it. She tells me it’s a warplane," Nathaly explained. The boys in the shelter told her that these warplanes are equipped with cameras and missiles, and they fly silently in the sky."

Nathaly misses her cat, 'Basbousa,' and her brother so much. "I am afraid we will be bombed and die, or my family will die," she said, her voice filled with fear. She doesn’t want to be left alone or homeless. "That’s not right," she said firmly. "I should stay with my family, sleep beside them, and keep cuddling them because that’s the best thing."

Nathaly prays to God that the bombing stops and doesn’t last even a second longer.

For children across Lebanon, as well as death, injury and displacement, the escalation in hostilities has instilled an unimaginable fear in their daily lives. More than ever before they face the harsh reality of a life filled with uncertainty and violence. UNICEF is on the ground delivering urgently needed water, health, nutrition, education services, and providing psycho-social support.