Agreement between Israel, Lebanon must lead to permanent regional ceasefire

Statement by Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), on the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon.

“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.”

Note to editors:

Photos and b-roll from Egeland’s recent visit to Lebanon and Syria are available here.

For media inquiries or interviews, please contact:

NRC's global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329

Ahmed Bayram, Middle East and North Africa regional media adviser: ahmed.bayram@nrc.no, +962 790 160 147