Geneva: UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk on Wednesday urged renewed efforts to bring a permanent end to hostilities in Lebanon, stressing that the continued suffering inflicted on the population despite an agreed ceasefire, including the killing of over 100 civilians in the past 10 months, must stop.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Turk stated that since the ceasefire of 27 November 2024, the Lebanese Armed Forces report thousands of violations of the agreement by Israeli occupation, including alleged attacks on civilians and home demolitions. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation Defense Forces have confirmed hundreds of airstrikes on what they claim were Hezbollah targets.
“We are still seeing impacts of jet and drone strikes in residential areas as well as near UN peacekeepers in the south,” the High Commissioner said. He cited a deadly incident where five people, including three children, were killed when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle and a motorcycle in the border area of Bint Jbeil on 21 September.
The High Commissioner called for an independent and impartial investigation into this incident and others that raise concerns about compliance with international humanitarian law. He reported that up until the end of September, the UN Human Rights Office verified 103 civilian deaths in Lebanon since the ceasefire. There have been no reports of fatalities from projectiles fired from Lebanon toward Israeli occupation since the ceasefire.
Turk highlighted that more than 80,000 people remain displaced in Lebanon due to ongoing violence, adding that the situation for migrants and refugees, who were already living in dire conditions before the conflict, has worsened.
“At all times during hostilities, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected, and international humanitarian law fully respected, irrespective of claims of breaches of a ceasefire,” Turk emphasized. He further stated that the good faith implementation of the ceasefire is crucial for achieving durable peace and urged all parties to transition to a permanent cessation as outlined by the UN Security Council, referencing resolution 1701, which was unanimously adopted in 2006 to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli occupation.