Calling for a Ceasefire in Lebanon
Statement from Project HOPE’s CEO, Rabih Torbay:
While we welcome the news of a ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States and hope it remains sustained, we urgently call for the ceasefire to extend to Lebanon where innocent civilians continue to endure deadly bombardment.
This morning, as conflicting reports went out about the ceasefire, people in Lebanon were starting to feel hopeful that they could go back home soon. Within hours, Israel conducted its largest coordinated strike to date, hitting 100 targets within a 10-minute window across Beirut, southern Lebanon, Mount Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley, while causing widespread panic for people who are already reeling from exceptional trauma. Today’s attacks killed 254 and wounded 1,165 people, but numbers may increase as rescue efforts are still ongoing.
For over a month, more than 1.2 million people have been forced from their homes and over 1,500 people have been killed, including 130 children, marking the most intense violence Lebanon has experienced since the civil war. Entire villages and towns are being made uninhabitable with targeted attacks on civilian infrastructure.
We are deeply concerned about these relentless attacks resulting in civilian casualties and mass displacement, and the compounding effects this has on health and humanitarian needs. For those who chose to remain in their homes or villages in affected areas, health and humanitarian assistance are largely out of reach.
Project HOPE’s local teams are operating mobile medical units to provide essential medical and mental health support, equipping health facilities with medicines and medical equipment, and distributing water, hygiene kits, and shelter supplies to families experiencing displacement across Lebanon. We remain steadfast in our commitment to provide lifesaving humanitarian and health support, guided by our commitment to neutrality, impartiality, and humanity.
Access photos here. For interviews or information, email media@projecthope.org.
