Gaza and Lebanon: the ceasefires that aren't
The word "ceasefire" seems like a misnomer for the situation in the Gaza Strip since Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal that was supposed to end two years of war almost a month ago. The Israeli military is still deployed in over 50% of the territory and has continued to shell and fire on Palestinians, killing more than 240 people and injuring over 600 since Oct. 11. Aid is also still entering the enclave at a trickle—far from the levels needed to address a hunger crisis caused by months of Israeli-enforced deprivation—with Israel rejecting many requests to bring in supplies. A UN resolution creating an international stabilization force to deploy to Gaza—a key part of the 20-point US peace plan–is supposed to be ready in two weeks but may face delays over disagreements about its mandate and the timetable for Israel's withdrawal from the territory. In the meantime, the Israeli military seems well entrenched in the 58% of Gaza where its forces are deployed and where Palestinians have been forced out.
Numerous observers are pointing out that the situation is beginning to resemble south Lebanon, where Israel has continued to occupy land and carry out attacks despite a ceasefire agreement that went into effect at the end of November last year. In recent weeks, Israel has carried out near-daily attacks in south Lebanon, which escalated on Nov. 6 with numerous air-strikes.
From The New Humanitarian, Nov. 7
Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue
The Norwegian Refugee Council says Israel carried out at least 50 air-strikes on Lebanon in January, the highest number since a November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. One count reports that Israel’s strikes have killed 350 people since the truce, and the attacks have also added to ongoing displacement. (TNH)
Israel accused of spraying herbicide on farms in south Lebanon
UN peacekeepers were forced to temporarily suspend their patrols along the Israel-Lebanon Blue Line on Feb. 1 in response to the Israeli military releasing what they referred to as a "chemical substance."
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that they were told by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) that the IDF would be carrying out an "aerial activity dropping what they said was a non-toxic chemical substance over areas near the Blue Line." The IDF instructed peacekeepers to withdraw from areas where they carry out mandated operations. As a result, on Feb. 2, UN personnel pulled over a dozen peacekeepers from the frontier for over nine hours. (Jurist)
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun later accused Israel of spraying the herbicide glyphosate on farmland in the south of the country, condemning it as "an environmental and health crime" and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty. He vowed to take "all necessary legal and diplomatic measures to confront this aggression." (The Guardian)