In response to tonight’s announcement of an expected 60-day ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, Oxfam Lebanon’s country director Bachir Ayoub, said:
“While news of a ceasefire will bring relief to millions in Lebanon, it is only a fragile pause that will not guarantee an end to the violence. Until then, Israel seems determined to bombard the country.
“This 60-day conditional pause in the hostilities will allow some of the 1.4 million people displaced by this brutal war to start returning to their homes, however hundreds of thousands of people have nowhere to return after Israel razed entire villages. A permanent agreement must be reached so that communities can begin to rebuild their lives.
“All parties to this agreement must now work toward a full, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza. After 415 days of violence this deal, although insufficient, may bring an end to the escalation in Lebanon for now, but there can be no true end to this war while Palestinians in Gaza continue to endure relentless Israeli bombardment, deprivation and death.”
For interviews, please contact Lucy Brown at lucyb@oxfam.org.au or 0478 190 099.
