We join JRS Lebanon and the other member organisations of the Lebanon Humanitarian INGO Forum (LHIF) in calling on the international community to leverage all diplomatic avenues and sustain a permanent ceasefire, and facilitate the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of displaced communities.

Full statement below:

A ceasefire in name only

On 16 May, the temporary ceasefire declared between Lebanon and Israel on 17 April was renewed for a second time, following negotiations brokered by the United States. Yet hostilities are ongoing, albeit somewhat reduced in intensity and geographic scope, and Lebanon continues to face a severe humanitarian emergency.

The ceasefire agreement did not provide for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, and included language permitting Israel to ‘take all necessary measures in selfdefence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks’. Since its declaration, Israeli attacks have continued on a daily basis – targeting the south, the Bekaa valley, and, on one occasion, the southern suburbs of Beirut -raising serious concerns for the protection of civilians. Over 600 people have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire was declared, many of them women, children and emergency responders.

Numerous incidents raise serious questions regarding compliance with International Humanitarian Law, including the principles of distinction and proportionality. Entire families have been hit in airstrikes, with men and women being killed alongside their children and grandchildren. Health and rescue workers have been killed when they arrive at attack scenes, continuing the trend of ‘double tap’ strikes (even triple or quadruple in some cases) seen since the start of the escalation.

The psychological impact of the ongoing hostilities cannot be underestimated. The fear and panic stirred by repeated attacks and displacement orders are heightened by periodic sonic booms and the near-constant sound of overhead drones throughout the country’s airspace. Meanwhile a generation of children and young people have seen their education disrupted by the conversion of public schools into shelters, for the second time in two years.

The situation within the Israeli-defined military-zone in southern Lebanon is particularly concerning. Multiple villages have been completely destroyed, while repeated displacement orders, military presence and access restrictions continue to prevent people from returning. Remaining communities face critical disruptions to essential supplies and services. According to the National Centre for Scientific Research, over 10,000 housing units have been damaged or destroyed since the ceasefire was declared. Humanitarian actors continue to operate in the area but access is increasingly challenging.

Meanwhile Hezbollah has, after an initial pause, resumed cross-border attacks into northern Israel, reportedly killing seven Israeli soldiers and one civilian contractor.2 For both parties to this conflict, this has become a ceasefire in name only.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since the escalation began on 2 March, including over 290 women, 200 children and 100 health workers, while more than 9,000 have been injured, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. One million people remain internally displaced, residing in collective shelters across the country, unstable rented accommodation, with host families or in informal settings such as cars, garages and public spaces.

Amid the insecurity, NGOs continue to respond to the needs of displaced populations who cannot return home due to ongoing insecurity and widespread destruction. Numbers of displaced persons are now rising, not falling, as families attempt to return and are forced to flee yet again. Inside and outside shelters there is an urgent need for basic supplies, such as food, safe water, medicine and hygiene items. NGOs are operating mobile clinics to deliver emergency healthcare, and providing nutrition and psychosocial support services, notably for pregnant women, new mothers and young children. Shelters are being urgently rehabilitated to improve water and sanitation facilities and enhance privacy and protection for the vulnerable. But in a strained funding climate, needs far outstrip available resources, and continue to increase with no end to the displacement in sight.

Call to action

The trend of expanding and intensifying violence must not be allowed to continue. Civilians at the centre of this crisis have suffered for too long: they must be enabled to return home safely and securely, to begin rebuilding their lives.

International, National and Local NGOs in Lebanon call on all parties to the conflict to:

• Cease immediately all attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and commit to a genuine and permanent end to hostilities;
• Ensure safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to all affected communities, particularly in southern Lebanon;
• Facilitate the safe, voluntary and dignified return of displaced communities by creating the conditions necessary for return, including the removal of military personnel and assets from civilian areas.

We call on the international community to:

• Deploy all available diplomatic levers to secure and sustain a full and permanent ceasefire;
• Support independent, impartial investigations into reported violations of International Humanitarian Law, including attacks on civilians, healthcare, and civilian infrastructure, and grave violations against children.
• Urgently mobilise sustained and flexible funding to enable the humanitarian community both to meet immediate needs and to support early recovery and reconstruction.

Download the full statement with the list of signatories.