7-year-old girl hit by stray bullet in Hadath

BEIRUT — A seven-year-old girl was hit in the head by a stray bullet Wednesday while on the playground of the Sisters of the Holy Hearts school in Hadath, south of Beirut.

Unknown persons fired shots nearby to celebrate the publication of the official Lebanese baccalaureate results.

Georges Aoun, president of the local municipal council, told L'Orient-Le Jour that the girl, "who was surrounded by several of her friends, suddenly collapsed while playing."

"She was then taken to Sacré-Coeur Hospital, where she underwent a brain scan which revealed the presence of a stray bullet. The bullet penetrated her skull and lodged in the back of her neck. She is still alive, but her situation is currently very critical," he added.

"This situation is becoming more and more trying. Every day, we are confronted with shootings to celebrate moments of joy, of sorrow, families settling their differences by shooting at each other! It's too much!" denounced the mayor.

Jean Hanna, the girl's father, told L'Orient-Le Jour that his daughter's condition remained critical, with no improvement.

"She is still unconscious and under observation. We have no further information on her situation at the moment," he said on Thursday.

"The police have taken our testimony, and I'm not in favor of any escalation [with the shooters] at the moment. All I care about is that my daughter's situation improves."

Faced with the repeated shootings in the air, the president of Hadath municipal council called on "security forces, the judiciary, religious leaders, political parties, opinion leaders and the media to assume their responsibilities in order to put an end to this tragedy, which is affecting different regions," according to a statement.

Shooting into the air to mark various events is common in Lebanon. Every year, a series of incidents involving stray bullets are recorded in the country, where weapons are poorly regulated.

In April, a stray bullet wounded a young girl in Kfarchima, Mount Lebanon, as she took part in Palm Sunday celebrations. At the end of 2022, caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi issued a circular calling on the security forces and regional authorities in Beirut and Mount Lebanon to take "firm and repressive measures" to prevent shooting on New Year's Eve.