A Year of Pain: The Long Shadow of the Palestinian Conflict
For over a year, we have witnessed the massacre endured by the Palestinian people. Despite numerous UN demands to cease the violence, Israel, backed by the United States and other Western countries, continues its brutal offensive—not only against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank but also affecting the broader region, with Lebanon being one of the hardest hit.
To understand this tragedy, we need to look back in history. The conflict between Israel and Lebanon is steeped in battles, occupations, and indirect conflicts. In 1948, the creation of Israel led to a massive exodus of Palestinian refugees to Lebanon, sparking internal tensions. During the 1960s and 1970s, the PLO established bases in southern Lebanon, launching attacks on Israel, which retaliated with incursions. Israel’s 1982 invasion, known as “Operation Peace for Galilee,” aimed to expel the PLO, taking the war to Beirut and forcing many to flee. This occupation led to the emergence of Hezbollah, which resisted the Israeli presence, further intensifying the conflict.
The Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) further complicated the situation, with various Lebanese groups receiving foreign support, including from Israel and Syria. Israel primarily supported Christian militias against Palestinian and Muslim factions.
In 2000, international pressure and Hezbollah’s resistance led Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah emerged as a powerful force. Over the years, tension has continued with sporadic clashes.
Since October 7, 2023, Hezbollah has supported Hamas and participated in limited clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border, maintaining a stance to avoid escalating the conflict. September 17, 2024, marked a terrifying escalation in Lebanon, with intensified Israeli bombings bringing daily devastation and suffering to people in the south, Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley.
Since the attacks began in October last year, over 41,000 people have lost their lives in Gaza, with more than 96,000 injured (UNRWA). In Lebanon, over 2,500 people have been killed, and more than 12,000 injured (UNHCR). Millions have been displaced, seeking refuge in UN buildings, hospitals, and mosques, though no place is truly safe. Many have crossed into Syria to escape the escalating violence.
Israel has stated that its war is against Hamas and Hezbollah, yet its attacks have indiscriminately affected civilians, journalists, and medical personnel. Restrictions in Gaza have led to severe famine and the spread of infectious diseases.
It is crucial to remember that this violence is not recent; it traces back to World War I, with promises of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, leading to a long history of suffering and displacement. The UK’s promise to support establishing this homeland in Palestine was formalized with the Balfour Declaration in 1917, intensifying Jewish migration to the area. In 1947, the UN proposed dividing Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab, with Jerusalem as an international city. Zionist leaders accepted the plan, but Arab countries and Palestinians rejected it.
After Israel's independence in 1948, the conflict was sealed with a massive Palestinian exodus, known as the Nakba or “catastrophe,” where hundreds of thousands were displaced. In 1967, Israel took Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, sparking Palestinian uprisings and an internationally condemned occupation. As restrictions grew, so did the resistance. Hamas, initially a social movement in the 1980s, evolved into a militant organization and an active force of resistance. In October 2023, Hamas launched an attack, justifying it as a response to ongoing restrictions and occupation, citing decades of death and displacement, a cycle of pain that continues to claim lives to this day.
Today, the situation in Lebanon has reached a critical and unsustainable point. The streets echo with the desperation of thousands of families struggling day by day to meet their most basic needs, but they are trapped in a reality where these needs seem impossible to fulfill. The war has sown fear and uncertainty, leaving behind a profound sense of helplessness as the shadows of an uncertain future loom over the country and its people. In this moment of despair, the only thing we can do is stand by these families and help them survive.
