The ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect Wednesday morning but not all displaced Israelis in the north of the country have returned home. Some families are still in government-subsidized hotels.
Published on 27/11/2024 14:43
Reading time: 2min
The truce between Israel and Hezbollah began early in the morning of Wednesday, November 27. Lebanese people have already started heading towards the south of the country to return to their homes. In Israel, however, there is no question yet of returning home for the 60,000 displaced people from the north of the country.
After more than 13 months of conflict, families left the hotels where they were staying, such as in this small establishment in the center of Jerusalem. Only the most vulnerable isolated people remain, like Sarah and her husband. She is retired. Her daughter left the country at the start of the war and until October 8, 2023, she lived in Kiryat Shmona, a handful of kilometers from Hezbollah’s first positions. “I would like to return home, even if I would not feel safe, especially if Hezbollah returns to the border. We cannot believe our enemies. It is possible that they will leave and then then let them come back.”
“If the Israeli army is not on Lebanese soil, we have no guarantee that Hezbollah will not return.”
Sarah, Israeli retiree, resident of Kiryat Shmonaat franceinfo
The agreement provides for permanent monitoring, mediators, and above all the possibility for Israel to intervene in the event of a violation of the truce. Raymonde is also displaced from Kiryat Shmona. She lives in the hotel with her husband. “I want to go homeshe says. It’s difficult because we’ve been scattered all over the country for months. I am there with my husband and I have one child who is also in Jerusalem, but the other two are far away. We can’t see each other.”
But despite these difficulties, Raymonde still prefers to wait. Before, she said, “the threat of Hezbollah is not completely eliminated”.
