Common Dreams reports: “Israel Agrees to Cease-Fire With Lebanon’s Hezbollah — But What About Gaza?” Israeli Prime minister Netanyahu said that he had three reasons for agreeing to a ceasefire: to “focus on the Iranian threat,” to “give our forces a breather and replenish stocks” and to “separate the fronts and isolate Hamas.” Al Jazeera reports Wednesday morning: “LIVE: Israel bombs Gaza school as displaced Lebanese return south.”
France played a role in the Lebanon deal. It just stated that Netanyahu has immunity from the International Criminal Court arrest warrants recently issued against him. Haaretz is reporting: “France’s ICC remarks on Netanyahu’s possible immunity was Israeli demand in Lebanon cease-fire talks, Israeli source says.” Earlier this month, the death toll in Lebanon was estimated at 3,000.
Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council stated today: “After a violent night in which Israel’s aerial bombardment of Beirut spread yet more chaos and destruction, we now have a long-overdue ceasefire. It will be a moment of relief for the families I met recently in Lebanon — and for millions around the country — but this relief must be lasting. The ceasefire must mean an end to people being driven from their homes and communities and an end to the constant sense of fear and anxiety that people have had to endure, worrying when the next attack will come.
“There will undoubtedly be a great deal of grief and trauma. Many will have no homes to return to, no schools for their children, and livelihoods destroyed. The wellbeing of children and their families must be prioritised in what will be a long journey to recovery.
“In Lebanon, my colleagues at NRC, many of whom have been displaced and suffered loss of loved ones, are motivated to go out and help people restore a sense of familiarity to their daily lives. We will be working up and down the country to provide displaced people with what they need ahead of a harsh winter. Countries that have helped fuel this deadly conflict must now step up and provide humanitarian assistance for aid organisations on the ground. The fighting may be over for now, but the humanitarian emergency is ongoing, and many thousands of people will continue to feel the impacts of the last two months of violence for months and years to come.
“It is now also far beyond time for the fighting in Gaza to cease too. The ceasefire in Lebanon must not lead to any further escalation there or elsewhere. It is imperative that diplomatic efforts put humanity first and get all parties to commit to regional peace and respect for international law as the only path forward.”
Contact: NRC’s global media hotline: media@nrc.no
Ahmed Bayram, Middle East and North Africa regional media adviser: ahmed.bayram@nrc.no