TEL AVIV, Oct 30: Some 618,000 Israeli youngsters, accounting for one in three of the child population, are living below the poverty line, according to an official report published on Thursday.

A total of 339,000 families — representing 21 per cent of the population — struggled to survive in 2002 with an income less than the official benchmark, the figures revealed.

The poverty line in Israel is set at 550 dollars per month for a couple without children.—AFP