With the support of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, Israel and Lebanon have signed a ceasefire agreement after more than 13 months of conflict. Under the agreement, Hezbollah troops will move north of the Litani River and Israeli troops will withdraw from southern Lebanon. The Israeli cabinet voted on Tuesday to approve the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect at 4am local time on Wednesday.
According to media reports, the truce, which comes after nearly 14 months of fighting, appeared to hold for the most part on its first day. The agreement calls for an initial two-month cessation of hostilities.
While it demands that Hezbollah withdraw from the southern Lebanese border, Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. Thousands of Lebanese troops and blue helmets from the UN Observer Mission, as well as an international panel, will monitor the implementation of the agreement.
The ceasefire agreement follows two months of intensified hostilities by Israeli forces in which more than 3,000 people have lost their lives. Since October 8, 2023, mor than 3,800 people, including more than 240 children, have been killed and more than 15,800 wounded. The war in Lebanon has also caused a severe humanitarian crisis.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said in a social media post on Wednesday that Lebanon was in the midst of the "most devastating humanitarian crisis in a generation" and that "the ceasefire is our best hope for bringing an end to the immense suffering".
On the first day of the ceasefire, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that residents of southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa valley began returning immediately after the ceasefire went into effect at 4am, after months of forced displacement.
An estimated 1.8 million people have been directly impacted by the war and uprooted from their homes. While Lebanese officials speak of 1.3 million people affected, nearly 900,000 have been internally displaced, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). More than 557,000 people have crossed into Syria in recent weeks as a result of the deteriorating situation in Lebanon.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the humanitarian needs in Lebanon remain unprecedented and that the UN and its partners need rapid, safe and unhindered access to get aid to those in need.
Humanitarian officials say the UN will continue to support the Lebanese government and other relief agencies in their efforts to assist all affected populations, including those who have been displaced or remain in conflict-affected areas, "leaving no one behind".
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has provided emergency assistance to more than half a million people in Lebanon since the conflict escalated. The UN agency is relying on contingency planning, including the pre-positioning of food stocks in the country. WFP continues to scale up with the aim of reaching one million people.
Ahead of the ceasefire, OCHA reported on Tuesday that Israeli air strikes continued to kill, injure and displace civilians in Lebanon on a devastating scale. On the same day, the southern suburbs of Beirut were hit by massive air strikes just minutes after more than 20 evacuation orders were issued.
A densely populated area in central Beirut was also targeted by air strikes without warning. OCHA said these attacks caused further casualties, damage and displacement as many people had previously sought safety in this part of the capital. As casualty figures were still being confirmed, residents in the area remained in a state of constant panic and fear. Intense air strikes also continued in eastern and southern Lebanon.
Speaking on Israeli television on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had set Hezbollah back decades by assassinating its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as well as thousands of other Hezbollah fighters, and destroying much of Hezbollah's ability to attack.
However, Israeli military action in Lebanon has caused widespread loss of civilian life and destruction of civilian infrastructure, and many Israeli attacks may amount to war crimes. Netanyahu is already wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the situation in Gaza.
Several UN peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have been injured after being deliberately targeted by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Intentionally directing attacks against personnel, facilities, material, units or vehicles involved in a peacekeeping operation is also a war crime.
UNIFIL said on Monday that it was seriously concerned by the numerous attacks against the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) inside Lebanese territory, despite their declared non-participation in the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
Attacks on the Lebanese Armed Forces inside Lebanese territory constitute a gross violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and international humanitarian law, which limits the use of force against those not participating in hostilities, and may amount to war crimes.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah will redeploy its soldiers north of the Litani River, as required by Resolution 1701. Israeli troops will gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon, and acting Lebanese Prime Minister Nagib Mikati said 5,000 Lebanese troops would be deployed there.
In a statement issued through his spokesman late on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio welcomed the ceasefire announcement and expressed the hope that this agreement can bring an end to the violence, destruction and suffering experienced by the people of both countries.
âThe Secretary-General urges the parties to fully respect and swiftly implement all of their commitments made under this agreement,â the statement said.
âThe Secretary-General also urges the parties to undertake immediate steps towards the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).â
According to his spokesperson, Guterres said that both the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stand ready to support the implementation of the agreement in accordance with their respective mandates.
In a separate statement, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, also welcomed the announcement of the truce between Israel and Lebanon.
âThis agreement marks the starting point of a critical process, anchored in the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006), to restore the safety and security that civilians on both sides of the Blue Line deserve,â she said.
âConsiderable work lies ahead to ensure that the agreement endures. Nothing less than the full and unwavering commitment of both parties is required.â
On Wednesday, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, likewise hailed the ceasefire announcement as, âoffering a much-needed reprieve and hope for civilians who have endured over a year of immense suffering.â
He noted that while the ceasefire provides a welcome respite, the humanitarian needs remain staggering.
âCivilians have faced unimaginable hardshipsâ death, multiple displacements, the destruction of homes, healthcare, livelihoods, and heritage, and profound trauma. This tragic chapter underscores the urgent need to uphold international humanitarian law,â Riza said.
âCivilians, humanitarian workers, journalists and civilian infrastructure must never be targets of war. Respect for humanitarian principles is essential to ensure the protection of lives.â
The ceasefire was praised by a dozen humanitarian organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), CARE International, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Save the Children International.
Ahead of the agreement, UN human rights chief Volker TĂŒrk said on Tuesday he was gravely concerned by the escalation in Lebanon in recent days and reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire to end the loss of life and destruction.
Dozens of people have reportedly been killed in Israeli airstrikes since Friday. An airstrike that flattened an eight-story building in Beirut on Saturday killed at least 29 people and wounded at least 67, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
At least 234 health workers have been killed as a result of the conflict in Lebanon since October 7, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly half of the attacks on health teams and facilities in Lebanon have resulted in at least one death each, the highest proportion compared to any other active conflict in the world.
âThis is another indication of how brutal this war is on health workers, and on civilians in general,â TĂŒrk said.
âHealthcare personnel exclusively assigned to medical duties must be respected and protected in all circumstances. If they are targeted as such, this constitutes a breach of international humanitarian law, and may amount to a war crime.â
âIsrael must do all it can to ensure full protection for medical staff and minimize any casualties among them, as well as any damage to health infrastructure,â the High Commissioner said.
More than 3,800 people have been killed and more than 15,800 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since October 8, according to the Ministry of Health. Most of them within two months, after Israel escalated its attacks on the neighboring country in late September.
âIsraeli military action in Lebanon has caused wide-scale loss of civilian life â including the killing of entire families, widespread displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, raising serious concerns about respect for the principles of proportionality, distinction and precautions,â TĂŒrk said.
âHow many more lives have to be lost in order for the warring parties to end this suffering?â
Meanwhile, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah had continued to fire rockets on the north of Israel, which had also resulted in civilian casualties.
According to the Israeli government, 40 civilians have been killed by Hezbollah rockets - including 13 in the occupied Syrian Golan - and more than 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the north due to Hezbollah rocket fire since October 7, 2023.
âMost of these rockets are indiscriminate by nature, prolonging the unacceptable displacement of many Israeli civilians,â the High Commissioner said.
âThe only way to end the tragedy for innocent people on all sides is a permanent and immediate ceasefire on all fronts; in Lebanon, in Israel and of course in Gaza,â TĂŒrk said.
If the ceasefire holds, it will allow more than 60,000 residents displaced from their homes in northern Israel to return. As many as 2 million Lebanese have been displaced across the border.
While the ceasefire deal raises hopes for peace in Lebanon and an end to ongoing war crimes, the big question is how the deal in Lebanon will affect the fighting in Gaza. So far, however, there is no indication that the deal will lead to a quicker ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli security forces have killed more than 44,000 people and wounded more than 104,000 others, most of them civilians.
The Israeli military is subjecting an entire population in Gaza to bombardment, siege and the threat of starvation, according to the United Nations.
The war in Gaza is characterized by grave war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international humanitarian law by Israeli forces. These include the collective punishment of civilians, the use of starvation as a method of warfare, the denial of humanitarian aid, the targeted killing of civilians, the indiscriminate killing of civilians, disproportionate attacks, forced displacement, torture, enforced disappearances and other atrocity crimes.
There is growing evidence that Israeli policies and military actions targeting Palestinians as a group amount to genocide, one of the worst crimes known to humankind. In addition to genocide, criminal acts under the Genocide Convention include conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, attempt to commit genocide, and complicity in genocide.