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Celebrations and heavy traffic as Lebanon ceasefire begins

Celebrations and heavy traffic as Lebanon ceasefire begins
By Lyndal Rowlands, Alastair McCready, Stephen Quillen, Urooba Jamal, Mersiha Gadzo and Farah Najjar
Published On 27 Nov 2024

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27 Nov 2024 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Thank you for joining us

To know more about how families in Gaza received the news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon with conflicting feelings of relief, hope, and abandonment, read this.

For a photo gallery looking back at the year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, click here.

For more on how US President Joe Biden’s administration is reported to have provisionally approved a $680m arms package to Israel, read this.

27 Nov 2024 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We’ll be closing this live page soon. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:

  • In its first statement since the ceasefire announcement, Hezbollah has proclaimed “victory” over Israel and says its fighters remain ready to deal with Israeli attacks.
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, saying it is “the first ray of hope” in the regional conflict after months of escalation and reiterated his calls for a truce in Gaza.
  • Israel has informed the International Criminal Court that it will appeal against arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, over their conduct in the Gaza war.
  • Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have escalated, killing several people, including a pregnant woman in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp.
  • The UN has sounded the alarm over the catastrophic situation in Gaza’s north, which has been besieged for 55 days as Israeli forces resume a ground assault in the area.
27 Nov 2024 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

WATCH: What does Lebanon’s ceasefire mean for Gaza, as Israeli attacks continue?

As a ceasefire deal is reached in Lebanon, the Israeli military continues to scale up attacks across Gaza, leaving many to wonder why Israel has not brokered a deal with Hamas.

27 Nov 2024 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

How the small Lebanese town of Bar Elias became a haven from Israel’s war

The people of Lebanon’s Bar Elias say it is their moral duty to host newcomers uprooted by Israel’s invasion of the country.

Al Jazeera spoke to families who fled Israeli bombardment. Some 5,850 newly displaced people arrived in Bar Elias, a town in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, according to the local municipality.

Read more in our feature here.

27 Nov 2024 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

Situation in Gaza City ‘absolutely terrifying’, UNRWA says

Louise Wateridge, senior emergency officer for UNRWA, says the daily Israeli bombardments are “absolutely terrifying”.

“What we’re seeing here is very miserable … people don’t have anywhere to shelter, they are in bombed-out buildings,” Wateridge told Al Jazeera from Gaza City, where she said an estimated 300,000 people remain.

“The rest of the population are under fabric, plastic sheeting, blankets, doing everything they can to keep out of the wind and the rain, but it’s almost impossible – there are very few aid supplies for them,” she added.

In the besieged northern area of Gaza, all requests have been denied or impeded since the start of November, she said.

“This means we have not been able to facilitate any humanitarian aid.”

27 Nov 2024 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)

Health sector in Gaza grappling with ‘critical shortages’, UN warns

UN spokesperson Farhan Haq says only five out of 486 health service points in Gaza were fully operational last month.

Over half were entirely non-functional, while 233 were partially operating, he told reporters at a briefing earlier today.

“The health sector is grappling with critical shortages of medicines, supplies, fuel, food and water,” he warned.

27 Nov 2024 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

PA President Abbas lays ground for succession

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has announced who would replace him in an interim period when the post becomes vacant, effectively removing Hamas from any involvement in a future transition.

Abbas, 89, still rules despite his term as head of the PA ending in 2009 and has resisted pressure to appoint a successor or a vice president.

In a decree, Abbas said the Palestinian National Council chairman, Rawhi Fattouh, would be his temporary replacement should the position become vacant.

“If the position of the president of the national authority becomes vacant in the absence of the legislative council, the Palestinian National Council president shall assume the duties … temporarily,” it said.

The decree added that following the transition period, elections must be held within 90 days. This deadline can be extended in the event of a “force majeure”, it said.

27 Nov 2024 - 21:40
 (21:40 GMT)

Katz says Israel will ‘respond’ if Hezbollah violates ceasefire: Report

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned if Hezbollah violates the newly instated ceasefire deal that Israel is prepared to “respond strongly”.

“We will not give up and we will not compromise on the safety of the residents of the north,” Katz was quoted by The Times of Israel as saying.

Despite the ceasefire, he called for schools not to reopen in towns and settlements along Israel’s northern border.

27 Nov 2024 - 21:20
 (21:20 GMT)

WATCH: Massive toll from a year of Israeli attacks on Lebanon

After more than a year of fighting, a huge disparity in the amount of death and destruction has become clear in Lebanon and Israel.

27 Nov 2024 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

Child injured during raid in occupied West Bank: Report

A child sustained shrapnel wounds after Israeli forces fired live bullets during a raid into a town near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reports.

It cited local sources as saying the child sustained minor injuries in the hand and was taken to the town’s medical facility in Faqqua.

Confrontations broke out in Faqqua after Israeli forces raided the town. Soldiers then headed to a military checkpoint in the area, according to Wafa.

27 Nov 2024 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

ICRC welcomes ceasefire in Lebanon, urges civilian protection

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says the ceasefire must be upheld “on all levels of command” to ensure respite for affected civilians.

In a statement, it said the agreement must also facilitate the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid.

“Whilst the agreement brings a glimmer of hope, the region remains tense and the humanitarian situation in Gaza unacceptable,” ICRC added.

27 Nov 2024 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

Podcast: Will the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire hold?

A ceasefire is in place in Lebanon, ending more than a year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

Will the US-brokered agreement hold?

Listen to this episode of the Inside Story podcast below:

27 Nov 2024 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

Israeli military says it downs drone smuggling weapons from Egypt

The Israeli military says it has shot down a drone that was carrying weapons as it crossed from Egypt to Israel.

In a post on X, it said its forces found “four guns, five cartridges and hundreds of bullets”.

In two incidents in October, Israel also said it had downed two drones smuggling weapons from Egyptian territory.

Egyptian authorities did not immediately respond to Reuters’s request for comment.

27 Nov 2024 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

If you’re just joining us

Here’s a recap of the latest developments:

  • The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon welcomes the ceasefire, saying it will “cooperate with all relevant partners to make the cessation of hostilities work”.
  • Israel informs the International Criminal Court that it will appeal against arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant over their conduct of the Gaza war.
  • The number of journalists who have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October last year has risen to 190, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is “the first ray of hope” in the regional conflict after months of escalation and reiterates his calls for a truce in Gaza.
  • In its first statement since the ceasefire announcement, Hezbollah proclaims “victory” over Israel and says its fighters remain ready to deal with Israeli attacks.
27 Nov 2024 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)

Hamas decries bombardment and starvation in Gaza’s north

Hamas has called for immediate action to stop the “massacres and starvation” being committed by the Israeli army in the northern Gaza cities of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia.

The group said in a statement that the army is continuing its military operations in the area, besieging thousands of people and killing “anyone who attempts to leave”.

Northern Gaza has been under siege for 55 days, ever since Israeli forces renewed a ground assault in the ravaged area, choking the entry of already scarce humanitarian supplies.

Along with stepping up bombardments, the Israeli army has threatened residents, telling them to leave their homes or shelters or face attack. It has also continued to besiege and attack Kamal Adwan Hospital, the only remaining partially functioning medical facility in the north.

27 Nov 2024 - 19:30
 (19:30 GMT)

Israeli football team prepare for closed-door match in Hungary after Amsterdam violence

Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv football team have returned to Europe for the first time since their fans clashed with apparent pro-Palestinian protesters.

The team will face off on Thursday against Turkey’s Besiktas in a Europa League match that was relocated to Hungary. The contest at Nagyerdei Stadium in the city of Debrecen will be played without fans due to security concerns after the violence in Amsterdam on November 7, which resulted in five people being treated in hospital and dozens of detentions.

Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic said at a news conference that his team were focused on the game regardless of what tensions may exist elsewhere.

“It’s not a question for me what happened outside of the stadium. We saw some videos and everything, but we really try to focus on football,” he said. “We’ll see tomorrow what is the effect.”

27 Nov 2024 - 19:20
 (19:20 GMT)
Houthi

Hezbollah proclaims ‘victory’ over Israel: Statement

Hezbollah says it had achieved “victory” over Israel and that its fighters were at the ready after a truce between the two sides took effect.

“Victory from God almighty was the ally of the righteous cause,” a statement from the Iran-backed group said, adding that its fighters “will remain in total readiness to deal with the Israeli enemy’s ambitions and its attacks”.

It was the first statement by Hezbollah’s operations centre since the ceasefire deal was announced.

27 Nov 2024 - 19:15
 (19:15 GMT)

UNRWA warns of ‘severe food shortages’ set to worsen in central Gaza

The UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) says hundreds in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah line up “for hours” to get a meal.

“Without immediate intervention, severe food shortages are set to worsen, further endangering the lives of people who already depend on humanitarian aid to survive,” the agency warned in a post on X.

27 Nov 2024 - 19:00
 (19:00 GMT)
Analysis

France playing ‘a double game’ by claiming Netanyahu has ICC immunity

William Schabas, professor of international law at Middlesex University, says France’s argument that Netanyahu has immunity from ICC prosecution because Israel is not party to the Rome Statute is “flimsy”.

He told Al Jazeera that this contradicts France’s stance on the ICC since it encouraged the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is legally in a similar situation as Netanyahu.

“France is playing a bit of a double game” on this, Schabas said, adding that the argument has already been rejected by the judges of the court.

“Only time will tell” whether Netanyahu is going to show up in court, Schabas said, because there is no appeal process for an arrest warrant – something that the Israeli leader said he was seeking.

27 Nov 2024 - 18:45
 (18:45 GMT)

UK foreign minister says he will still talk to Netanyahu after ICC arrest warrant

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy says he would continue to talk and meet with Netanyahu after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Lammy told parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee he would comply with the ICC’s request to arrest Netanyahu if he entered Britain, insisting he had no option to ignore the order.

But Lammy said he would continue to talk to Netanyahu and other senior Israeli government officials about issues such as seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and the importance of getting aid into the Palestinian territory.

“I do believe they are important matters that require engagement from those of us in government,” Lammy said. “I can’t see circumstances under which I would not be speaking to the elected representatives of the Israeli government.”