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An Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon, bombings in Beirut, massive displacement and rising sectarian friction. The year is 2026, but for those who lived through Lebanon's civil war five decades ago, it may as well be the ‌1970s.Lebanese who fought in the 1975-1990 war or documented it as journalists told Reuters they feel echoes of the intercommunal tensions and ​violence they witnessed then, and see a risk ‌of renewed fighting among Lebanese. The latest war that erupted on March 2 between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has deepened ‌enmity between the Iran-backed group and ⁠its domestic opponents, pushing Lebanon's fragile state ‌and society towards breaking point. A short-term ceasefire is meant to ‌allow for peace negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, with the US to host a second round of talks on Thursday. But it is also sharpening the ⁠divide between the government and Hezbollah, which is firmly opposed to such negotiations.Lebanon's civil war erupted in April 1975 when sectarian and economic tensions boiled over into clashes between Christian gunmen and Palestinian fighters, then expanded to draw in other communities and countries. Around one million people fled their homes, a figure the most recent conflict, with 1.2 million displaced, has already surpassed. Beirut became a battleground. Israel invaded in 1978, occupying a strip of southern Lebanon similar to the territory it has just reoccupied. From 1976-2005 Syria deployed troops to Lebanon -- an idea that was floated to Damascus last year. Ziad Saab, 68, squinted as he read a handwritten letter he received in 1981 from a friend on the frontline, detailing Israeli bombardment ​on some of the same southern villages Israel recently struck."This letter could be written today," said Saab, who fought alongside Lebanon's Communist Party at the time and now heads Fighters for Peace, an organization founded by former combatants. Internal divisions underpinning Lebanon's civil war were never reconciled, he said, warning Lebanese against turning on each other."Don't repeat our experience. Because ‌you'll be surprised where it will take you," Saab ⁠said, speaking to Reuters at his home ​in Beirut. "We ripped the country apart." For Saab, the bombardments of April 8, when rapid Israel strikes across Lebanon killed more ​than 300 people, "basically brought back the scenes of the whole civil war in seconds".Hezbollah was founded in 1982 at the civil war's peak and was the only group to retain arms after it ended. After Israel withdrew in 2000, Hezbollah expanded its arsenal and deepened its sway over Lebanon's government. Internal clashes broke out in 2008 and 2021.But after a 2024 war with Israel badly weakened Hezbollah, a new Lebanese government backed by the U.S. vowed to disarm it. Lebanese troops began to confiscate its arms gradually, fearing a confrontation if they seized Hezbollah's arsenal by force. When Hezbollah fired into Israel on March 2 in support of Iran, some Lebanese blamed it for pulling the country into a new conflict. Some also blamed the wider Shi'ite community, from which Hezbollah draws its popular support. Meanwhile, Shi'ite Muslims, who have borne the brunt of wars with Israel and see Hezbollah as their only defence, have criticised the state for failing to protect them. Several Shi'ites displaced by Israeli strikes ‌told Reuters they saw Lebanon's top officials as "traitors". Patrick Baz, a ‌Lebanese photographer, said divisions among Lebanese youth made a new ⁠internal conflict possible, citing scenes of armed Christian men, angry at Hezbollah over the war, firing in the air during a funeral of a Christian politician killed in ⁠an Israeli strike this month. Baz, who learned the craft in ⁠the civil war's early days and spent his adulthood documenting it, pointed to universities, often a microcosm of broader political tensions. "I'm sure if you go to universities today and you tell them to carry guns and go and fire at your political opponents or someone you don't like, they will do it," he said.Last week's announcement of a temporary ceasefire brought welcome respite after more than five weeks of Israeli strikes that killed nearly 2,300 people.But the deal leaves key issues unaddressed. It neither requires Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanon nor explicitly demands Hezbollah's disarmament. It sets Beirut on track for peace talks with Israel, ​fiercely opposed by some Lebanese across sectarian divides.A diplomat working on Lebanon described the text as a "detailed recipe for internal confrontation."Rafic Bazerji, a senior figure in a Lebanese Christian armed group during the civil war, said deals that don't have "a good foundation" are doomed to reignite tensions, citing the Taif Agreement which ended the civil war but was never fully implemented, and the government's unfinished plan to disarm Hezbollah.Bazerji now owns a guesthouse in the mountains southeast of Beirut and heads the Latin League in Lebanon, which represents Latin Christians, one of the country's many religious groups.He taught his two adult sons to shoot and sees a young generation that could take up arms."As much as we were, in our days, fanatics and we were excited to fight, I'm seeing today a new generation that is scary. We're kids compared to them," he told Reuters.Lebanese were worried about reliving the 1975-1990 war, when around 150,000 were ‌killed, he added, but splits over Hezbollah, Israel ​and other key issues could tip into violence."In the end, if we can avoid it, we avoid it. But if the razor reaches our throats, we're also not going to take it lying down," Bazerji said. 

Torrential rains that fell Friday and early Saturday have worsened the suffering of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, flooding fragile tents amid dire humanitarian conditions caused by the Israeli occupation's ongoing aggression since October 7, 2023.UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric expressed concern that thousands of displaced families are now fully exposed to harsh weather, raising serious health and protection risks.The Israeli assault has destroyed approximately 92% of Gaza's residential buildings, forcing most residents into unsafe tents or back into damaged homes at risk of collapse during floods.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that shelter partners deployed rapid response teams and distributed aid in recent days, including 1,000 tents in Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis, 7,000 blankets to over 1,800 families, 15,000 tarpaulins to 3,700 families, and winter clothing for more than 500 families.OCHA noted that effective flood prevention requires equipment unavailable in Gaza, such as water drainage tools and debris removal systems.The office also warned that deteriorating living conditions heighten the risk of explosive remnants, especially for children.Some injuries occurred while collecting firewood, and families have been forced to pitch tents near suspected hazardous areas due to lack of safe alternatives.Since the ceasefire began on October 11, Israeli forces have committed dozens of violations, resulting in 261 Palestinian deaths and 632 injuries, with 533 bodies recovered from the rubble.According to official statistics, the Israeli aggression has killed at least 69,187 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 170,703 others. Many victims remain trapped under debris, unreachable by rescue teams.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated that Israeli occupying forces are carrying out destruction operations in the northern West Bank, forcing citizens to undergo forced displacement from their homes. In a statement issued Wednesday, UNRWA confirmed that the refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams have been evacuated, and their residents have been prevented from returning. The agency pointed out that settler violence and the expansion of settlements have led to the forcible displacement of Palestinians from their land, warning that these actions pave the way for annexation operations. UNRWA further added that Israeli laws targeting the agency have led to the closure of UN schools in the West Bank and the expulsion of international staff from their positions.

After two years of a war marked by genocide, starvation, displacement, and relentless bombardment, Gaza now looks toward peace after the war turned it into a ghost city—its infrastructure destroyed, its devastated economy crippled, its population drastically reduced, and its trade, industry, environment, and public health all under threat. This means that the besieged Gaza Strip no longer exists as it did before Oct. 7, 2023, the date when the brutal Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip began, which today marks its second year and tomorrow enters its third. With unparalleled brutality and savagery, Israel committed horrific crimes and genocide in the Palestinian territory, using its entire arsenal of lethal weapons for killing, destruction, and genocide through indiscriminate bombing, suffocating siege, repeated incursions, and systematic destruction of various parts of the Strip—from north to south and east to west. The Strip has endured continuous suffering, losing countless martyrs relentlessly for over 730 days, in what has become the longest and bloodiest war in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and possibly in the history of the entire world. The conflict has transformed from a military battle into a humanitarian and geopolitical turmoil that is reshaping the entire region. Reports reveal indescribable human suffering and massive destruction affecting every aspect of life in the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege for more than 18 years. This is the result of a scorched-earth policy implemented by Israeli occupation forces, blatantly disregarding all recognized international and humanitarian values, charters and principles applicable during times of war. Official and international reports state that most cities and refugee camps in the Strip have turned into ghost towns, emptied of their residents who were forcibly displaced and pushed toward the southern part of the Strip. The area has been described as a disaster zone, with scenes of destruction stretching from the eastern border with the Israeli entity to the Mediterranean Sea. Almost nothing remains intact—homes lie in ruins, buildings have collapsed, schools are destroyed, and mosques, universities, and institutions have been leveled to the ground.According to documented reports and testimonies, the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe that has struck the Strip defies description. Tens of thousands have been martyred, hundreds of thousands wounded, and more than two million people live in tattered tents or the rubble of their homes. Meanwhile, famine is expanding, food security teeters on the brink of collapse, clean water is extremely scarce, and diseases are widespread. Hospitals are nearly incapacitated due to severe shortages of medicines and medical equipment, putting patients' and the injured's lives at constant risk. Gaza has become the largest open-air theater of suffering in the 21st century.According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, approximately 90% of the Strip has been destroyed after two years of war. Thirty-eight hospitals across the Strip have been either destroyed or rendered non-functional, while the occupation army has taken control of about 80% of the Strip's area through invasions, displacement, and continuous bombardment.The office reported that since the start of the war, the occupation army has dropped more than 200,000 tons of explosives on Gaza. Additionally, 95% of the Strip's schools have been partially or completely damaged as a result of the bombing.The Government Media Office also indicated that 67,160 Palestinians have been martyred, the majority of them children and women, and 169,679 others have been injured. The office further stated that 2,700 families have been completely wiped out and erased from the civil registry, and more than 460 people have died from hunger and malnutrition amid the ongoing siege and shortage of humanitarian supplies.It also clarified that 244 government headquarters and 292 sports and educational facilities have been destroyed, in addition to widespread damage to municipal services. Thousands of commercial establishments, banks, currency exchange shops, and central markets have also been affected. Preliminary estimates of losses across 15 economic sectors amount to $70 billion, reflecting direct impact only and excluding indirect effects caused by halted production, brain drain, and reduced commercial capacity.Housing sector losses alone are estimated at nearly $28 billion due to the complete or partial destruction of approximately 268,000 housing units, alongside widespread displacement and loss of property. Regarding electricity and energy facilities, direct losses are estimated at around $1.4 billion.According to the United Nations, the volume of rubble is estimated at more than 61 million tons, 15% of which is contaminated with toxic materials. The organization states that over 1.5 million people are in urgent need of emergency shelter amid severe food shortages and an almost complete absence of medical services, especially as organizations like the International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders have been forced to suspend their operations due to the intensity of the brutal Israeli bombing.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr. Badr Abdelatty affirmed that the situation in the Middle East is on the brink of explosion, stressing that Egypt rejects any scenarios of forced displacement of the Palestinian people and that the continued violations of the Israeli occupation threaten the foundations of peace.In a speech at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said the multilateral international system is in a state of unprecedented fluidity, its mechanisms are collapsing, and its credibility is eroding due to crimes committed under the watchful eye of the international community, which is content to play the role of spectator to the systematic violations taking place.He added that the Middle East stands on the brink of explosion, as all elements of peace, security and stability are absent, there is little respect for international legitimacy, and the brotherly Palestinian people are falling victim to the most heinous Israeli practices. He pointed out that the hands of the Israeli aggression have extended, in a frenzy of power and lack of accountability, to the countries of the region one after the other, and the latest episode was the treacherous aggression against the sisterly State of Qatar.Dr. Abdelatty explained that since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, Egypt has devoted all its efforts to achieving a sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, in partnership with Qatar and the US, and to resuming uninterrupted flow of aid to confront the current famine, which is of Israeli origin.He pointed out that Egypt affirmed that reforming the UN and international financial institutions is no longer an option that can be postponed, but rather an urgent necessity to ensure fair and balanced representation in international decision-making mechanisms.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced the forcible displacement of 1.9 mn people in the Gaza Strip.In a statement, the UN agency said that "For 2 years too long, UNRWA has been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the scale of suffering and destruction is unimaginable." It added, "We call again for a ceasefire now."Last Friday, the UNRWA reported that the cost of displacement from Gaza City in the north of the Strip to the south is estimated at $3,180 per family. The agency also pointed to severe overcrowding in areas designated for the tents of Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive.This comes amid the massive humanitarian crisis facing the people of the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been the target of a war of extermination for nearly two years, and amid the intensification of Israeli occupation operations in Gaza City in recent days.Medical sources in the Gaza Strip announced Sunday that five deaths were recorded in the Strip due to famine and malnutrition over the past 24 hours.These sources reported that the total number of deaths from famine and malnutrition has risen to 447, including 147 children.The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 65,283 martyrs.In a statement Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that hospitals in the Strip received, over the past 24 hours, the bodies of 75 martyrs (four of whom were recovered from under the rubble of destroyed buildings) and 304 wounded.

The United Nations warned that the situation in Gaza is deteriorating by the hour and renewed its call for immediate protection for civilians. It emphasized that issuing displacement orders does not absolve the parties to the conflict of their responsibilities to protect civilians, especially in light of the ongoing attacks launched by the occupying power, Israel, on Gaza. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital in Gaza was damaged after being hit by multiple airstrikes two days ago, forcing half of the patients and their caregivers to flee under the bombardment in search of safety. Meanwhile, UN humanitarian partners confirmed that since the ceasefire collapsed in March, 80 medical facilities and primary healthcare centers providing health services to patients have been damaged, with 65 of them out of service. In a related development, the Palestinian Telecommunications Company reported that Wednesday night, there was a complete internet outage throughout Gaza and the north, preventing residents and humanitarian workers from accessing vital information. UN humanitarian partners have established three support points in areas hosting internally displaced persons in southern Gaza to assist unaccompanied children, orphans, and the wounded. They reported that the heavy shelling of Gaza is exacerbating the suffering of the people, especially children.

Egypt says eviction of Gazans is a red lineForeign minister says a genocide is 'in motion' in GazaIsrael has denied genocide, says its actions are self defenceCairo keep up tougher tone as war nears two yearsEgypt said Friday it would not tolerate mass displacement of Palestinians and what it described as genocide, continuing to ratchet up its criticism of Israel's Gaza offensive as thousands of residents of Gaza City defied Israeli orders to leave."Displacement is not an option and it is a red line for Egypt and we will not allow it to happen," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters in Nicosia."Displacement means liquidation and the end of the Palestinian cause and there is no legal or moral or ethical ground to evict people from their homeland," he said.His comments are in line with a hardening of Egyptian language this year about Israel's conduct in the enclave, which borders Egypt, even as it has worked with Qatar and the US to try to mediate a ceasefire in the almost two-year-old war.Repeating accusations of genocide levelled by the Egyptian leadership against Israel in recent months, he added: "What is happening on the ground is far beyond the imagination. There is a genocide in motion there, mass killing of civilians, artificial starvation created by the Israelis," Abdelatty said.Israeli authorities did not immediately reply to a request for comment.Israel has in the past strongly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as self defence. It is fighting a case at the International Court of Justice in the Hague that accuses it of genocide and which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned as "outrageous".Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, after fighters from Hamas, the Palestinian group in control of the territory, stormed southern Israel.More than 64,000 Palestinians have since been killed, Gaza health authorities say, with much of the densely populated enclave laid to ruin and its residents facing a humanitarian crisis.Israel began an offensive in Gaza City on August 10, in what Netanyahu says is a plan to defeat Hamas fighters in the part of Gaza where Israeli troops fought most heavily in the war's initial phase. It now controls about 40% of Gaza City, a military spokesperson said on Thursday.Much of Gaza City was laid to waste in the war's initial weeks in October-November 2023. About a million people lived there before the war, and hundreds of thousands are believed to have returned to live among the ruins, especially since Israel ordered people out of other areas and launched offensives elsewhere.