20 March 2026
*The International Peace Bureau is a member of the Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine (GSPP) coalition
Less than two years after the 2024 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement, a renewed Israeli assault on southern Lebanon, stretching to include suburbs of the capital Beirut and other more northern sites, has led to a massive humanitarian crisis, with more than one million people displaced from their homes and at least 886 people, including 111 children killed. In an area still suffering from the destruction of civilian infrastructure and massive loss of life from the last open war, this newest assault threatens to destroy even more livelihoods and take more innocent lives. It must end immediately. Those who have fled face urgent shortages of shelter, food, and medical supplies, with many families staying in makeshift shelters or overcrowded communities, adding strain and tension in an already difficult situation.
The 2024 ceasefire was in fact never truly implemented – just the day after its signing, Israel was accused of killing civilians returning home, and The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) also reported that Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 10,000 times since November 2024. Following the US and Israeli illegal war against Iran and assasination of the Ayatollah, Hezbollah returned to firing rockets toward Northern Israel, resulting in one injured civilian and two Israeli soldiers’ deaths. The Israeli response, as we have seen in Gaza over the past two and a half years, has been completely disproportionate and overwhelmingly impacted civilians, including Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
With recent news of Israel’s intentions to expand their campaign and possibly even occupy southern Lebanon, the plight of Lebanese civilians is likely to worsen in the coming days and weeks. Following the pattern of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the country is holding Lebanon’s entire population under the threat of utter and complete destruction, occupation, and suffering. There is rightful concern about a return to an Israeli occupied “security zone” in Southern Lebanon or even an annexation.
We, as the Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine (GSPP), firmly reject Israel’s brutality and indiscriminate attacks in Lebanon and call for an immediate halt to all attacks on Lebanon. We call for the 2024 ceasefire agreement to be fully implemented by all parties and for an end to violence in the region. We understand that peace cannot be achieved through attacks on civilians and destruction of infrastructure We also ask that negotiations include women, to ensure a durable and sustainable peace.
Furthermore, we emphasize the common strains between the struggles of the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples. Israel’s repudiation of international and humanitarian law has brought itself and the wider region into deeper conflict and cost countless innocent Palestinian and Lebanese lives.
The United Nations can and must play a role to protect civilian lives and to stop the brutal assaults, including, when necessary, by enacting UNGA Resolution 377(V) “Uniting for Peace” to bypass the ineffective security council and take action to end the genocide in Palestine and massacre in Lebanon. States must cease arms sales and transfers to Israel and ensure it complies with international law, including UNGA Resolution ES-10/24 on the occupation of Palestinian territories.
GSPP stands firmly in support of the peacebuilders on the ground in Lebanon working to care for the displaced population in these difficult moments. We encourage international solidarity and support for those on the frontlines of this unprecedented humanitarian crisis – the second in just two years.
