The ceasefire in the Middle East marks start of regional recovery

Israel and Lebanon have been in conflict for many years because of disagreements over land and politics. The fighting often involves groups in Lebanon, like Hezbollah, who are against Israel’s actions in the region. These conflicts have led to ongoing tensions. The fighting between Israel and the Palestinian people who live in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip is a long and complex struggle that shot up dramatically in October 2023, when Hamas terrorists carried out an attack on Israeli civilians.

Since then, there has been a lot of violence where both sides, especially children, have experienced extreme pain and loss. The deep-seated anger, fear and a lack of trust make it hard for both sides to find a way to make peace.

Israel started a series of air strikes in Lebanon as part of the ongoing Israel Hezbollah conflict, in an operation code-named Northern Arrows. Since then, Israel’s attacks have killed over 800 people, injured more than 5000 and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians.

ONE BEIRUT FAMILY’S BID FOR SAFETY

On the evening of October 10, the Merhis were all at home. Father Mahdi Merhi sat in the living room while his wife prepared pasta for dinner in the kitchen. Their eldest son, Mustapha, 23 years old, was home from his job as a chef and sat in the one kids’ bedroom with his three sisters.

The Merhi family had called this two-bedroom flat in Beirut’s Basta Fawqa neighbourhood home for the previous 18 months. They had moved here to be closer to their eldest daughter’s university. But shortly after 7pm that night, a year and a half spent building a home was lost in an instant.

In the kitchen, a pot was still on the stove and flies circled around the now-burned pasta Mustapha’s mother was preparing for dinner. Stepping out onto the balcony, Mustapha looked across the street. The people living on the first floor of the building opposite theirs had already replaced their balcony curtains. But the second floor was still covered in ash and dust from the blast. When the strike made contact, “We heard the sound of rockets,” he said. “All the glass (in the apartment) broke and the building shook.”

The strike in Basta Fawqa took down three buildings, residents said. It also badly damaged many of the surrounding buildings, including where the Merhis lived on the third floor of an adjacent concrete structure.

Israeli attacks killed at least 22 people and injured 117 in two central Beirut locations that evening. The target of one of the strikes was said to be Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah’s Coordination and Liaison Unit, whose condition is not known, though security sources told

Reuters news agency he had survived.

The Merhi famil has since moved in with a relative in a different neighbourhood.

On 27 November 2024, a ceasefire agreement was signed by Israel, Lebanon and several mediating countries, including the United States.

Please note: Images were added to this Junior Journo competition entry by Kids News editors and edits applied for accuracy and as per publishing requirements and editorial guidelines on the site.