Lebanon Ceasefire: Displaced Families Face New Crisis

BEIRUT — A ceasefire agreement with Israel has ended months of fighting in southern Lebanon. But for the thousands of people forced to flee their homes, the real challenge is just beginning. The deal, announced this week, has halted cross-border shelling and airstrikes. Yet many displaced families now face a difficult choice: return to destroyed villages or remain in temporary shelters. “The bombing has stopped, but our houses are gone,” said one resident from the border town of Aita al-Shaab. “We have no water, no electricity, no roads.” The conflict, which began in October, displaced over 100,000 people from southern Lebanon. Aid groups warn that rebuilding will take years. The United Nations estimates that thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. For now, families wait. Some hope to return soon. Others fear the ceasefire may not hold. “The true test begins now,” said a local relief worker. “Peace is not just the absence of war. It is having a home to go back to.”