Lebanon: Nearly 600 killed since fragile ceasefire agreed | NRC

Country: Lebanon Source: Norwegian Refugee Council Nearly 600 people have been killed in Lebanon in four weeks of fragile ceasefire, while more than one million people remain displaced the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said. Press release NRC calls on all parties to fully respect the ceasefire and uphold international humanitarian law. Civilians, civilian infrastructure, health workers, and humanitarian personnel must be protected at all times. The right of displaced people to return safely and voluntarily must be upheld, and measures that risk turning displacement into a long-term reality must end. “What we are seeing on the ground in terms of daily attacks on villages has the hallmarks of a repeatedly violated ceasefire,” said Maureen Philippon, Country Director for NRC in Lebanon. “Civilians in Lebanon have known no peace since the agreement was announced. They continue to be killed, injured and displaced by daily Israeli attacks and evacuation orders. The ceasefire is now hanging in the balance.” Civilians in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa remain exposed to artillery shelling, airstrikes and demolitions. Entire families have been killed during the ceasefire period. Beirut has also been hit once. In that same period, Hezbollah has reportedly launched drones and missiles towards Israel. No casualties from these attacks have been reported. The ceasefire agreement, instead of reversing displacement, has deepened it. Many displaced families who attempted to go back were displaced again after finding their homes damaged and their villages with no water, electricity or services. Satellite imagery has documented extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon, and in some areas entire villages have been bulldozed and razed to rubble, further undermining any realistic prospect of return. On...

Original source: Relief Web