FADIA JUMAA

Lebanon- On October 8, 2023, Israel started attacking Lebanon, displacing thousands, including women and children, especially from southern Lebanon. After a ceasefire agreement was reached between Lebanon and Israel in late November 2024, the displaced people returned to their homes.

‘We will stay in our village even if our homes have been destroyed’

When they returned to their villages, they found their homes in ruin. The house of Sherifa Hashem, one women from Naqoura, a village located in southern Lebanon, was also destroyed. “The sacrifice of our children against Israeli forces liberated our homeland,” Sherifa Hashem told NuJINHA. “We are happy to return to our homes. We will stay in our village even if our homes have been destroyed.”

‘No words can describe the pain we feel’

“Everything in the village has been completely destroyed,” said Najma Al-Farah, a resident of the village of Alma al-Chaab in southern Lebanon. “No words can describe the pain we feel while looking at our destroyed homes. Civilians are always victims of the governments' war policies and interests. They always suffer from wars and conflicts.”

Call for solidarity

Sabreen Finch, a resident of the southern Lebanese border village of al-Dhahira, also told us that they were happy to return to her village. “I call on the Lebanese government to rebuild the region. Arab countries must take an urgent action to support the Lebanese people, who were displaced and experienced many sufferings due to their war policies. We call on all women to be in solidarity with us. As women, we are determined to fight against all practices that violate our rights.”