A fragile ceasefire

In Lebanon, a ceasefire took effect on April 16 after more than a month of war that killed nearly 2,500 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million. Last week, we learnt that the ceasefire will be prolonged for three more weeks. Although we rejoice and thank God for what is clearly an answer to prayer, our hearts and minds remain heavy. The suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced people continues, and the future remains uncertain until a long-term solution is found. 

The suffering continues

Despite the ceasefire, tens of thousands remain displaced. With Israeli forces occupying parts of the south, over 50 villages remain entirely off-limits to residents, and several houses there are still being blown up every day. In other villages, there is no internet, electricity, or water, and the level of destruction is such that being able to go see with their own eyes shattered the little hope displaced families had to go back anytime soon. Many people who briefly went back also faced a new type of trauma, being confronted with some horrific sights.   

MERATH visited a local partner center in Beirut that serves displaced families. Families gathered to receive blankets, hygiene kits, clothing and other items. One family, who had previously received aid from the center, walked for more than an hour to reach the center, carrying a one and a half years old child. “Taxis are expensive,” Aida* said. “My husband hasn’t been working since the start of the war, and we can barely pay rent.”

A triggering experience

Aida*, a mother of four, has been displaced so many times she cannot count. As a Syrian refugee who fled her own country 11 years ago, the recent wars in Lebanon have been especially triggering to her. Her home located on the outskirts of Beirut southern suburbs was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in 2024 after she and her family fled moments before the strike.

“We were asleep when the concierge called us saying they threatened the area,” she said. “If we hadn’t left, we would have been killed.” Now living in a rented home in the same area as before, Zeinab continues to flee to her mother’s house whenever there is a warning or the sound of explosions and jets. Even during the ceasefire, the family does not feel safe.

Despite the ceasefire, we’re really stressed out. We never feel safe and we are scared all the time. We get triggered very easily. Don’t forget we went through war in Syria for several years, and we still carry that trauma. Every time I hear gunfire, my heart skips a beat, and I feel like I’m losing my mind. My toddler hasn’t been able to go to the bathroom properly lately. He panics and becomes frantic anytime he hears a loud sound. My old mother gets pain in her chest when she hears a bombing, feeling like she is having a heart attack or a nervous breakdown.

No hope of going back

We also met Soha* and Amal*, two Lebanese sisters who lost their brother during the 2024 war. He was killed while trying to return home to check on the family house. This time when the war resumed, the sisters fled with their family to Beirut as the violence escalated. Their family house was later destroyed. Amal said:

When we saw that there was nothing left of our family home and our entire neighborhood, where we had all our memories, it crushed us. Since the death of our brother and with everything we went through, we were holding on to the hope that we would be able to go back one day.

 

The sisters and their extended family have been receiving support from MERATH’s partner since last year. She was especially grateful for the blankets she recently received, saying she would give them to her two grandchildren.

The entire team is just amazing. They are really working for God. Their love is genuine and their support and presence lift our spirits. They make us feel like we matter.

As the ceasefire is still in effect, please pray that it will extend and that the war reaches its end. Despite the uncertainty, we believe that God can and will ultimately make “wars cease to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 46:9). As we long and wait for this, keep praying for people who are still displaced and for our partners who have been faithfully serving them.