BEIRUT, April 1 (Xinhua) -- As dawn broke over southern Lebanon on Eid al-Fitr, Nadine Nasrallah walked through the shattered street to the cemetery in her hometown Khiam, Nabatieh Governorate. Instead of the usual festive preparations, she started the holiday at the gravesite, whispering prayers for her relatives who had perished in the ongoing conflict.

"There is no Eid for us here," Nasrallah told Xinhua. "The war hasn't ended. It's still ongoing."

For communities along Lebanon's southern border, the Islamic holiday of renewal has become a grim ritual of survival. Despite a U.S.- and French-brokered truce between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel having been in place since Nov. 27, 2024, local residents continue to live under the constant threat of Israeli drone surveillance and near-daily bombardments, justified by Israel as targeting Hezbollah operatives.

The Lebanese Health Ministry has reported 120 deaths and 300 injuries since the truce began, compounding a staggering toll: 3,961 killed and 16,520 wounded since the conflict erupted in October 2023.

In Khiam, charred buildings and cratered roads are telling a story of relentless violence. "Just yesterday, phosphorus shells rained down on our town, setting fire to the school's power generator and damaging buildings," Nasrallah recounted. "The shells landed randomly in different neighborhoods."

During the fiercest bombardments, Nasrallah's family fled to the city of Nabatieh, spending all their savings and even selling their gold to pay for shelter. Nasrallah's husband now labors on a poultry farm for 300 U.S. dollars a month, a sum barely enough to cover necessities. "Our life is full of grief and suffering," Nasrallah murmured.

In Kfar Tebnit, another village in Nabatieh Governorate, 25-year-old Dalal Fakih shuddered as she recalled an Israeli airstrike on Friday targeting a house, which she saw with her own eyes.

"It killed the homeowner and his wife. It was terrifying," she said. "He was a retired army officer. We don't know why they targeted him. The randomness of these attacks has left us in constant fear."

Eid traditions have also withered under the strain in the nearby village of Taybeh.

"We aren't celebrating this Eid," said Raed Abdallah, a father of three. "Instead, we placed wreaths on the graves of loved ones lost to Israeli strikes."

"We couldn't afford new clothes for our children, as we do every year," he added. "My wife and I made Eid sweets at home. Our children understand our situation, hoping for a better Eid next year."

Markets once bustling with holiday shoppers now stand desolate. Hassan Tabaja, a business owner in the city of Nabatieh, said this holiday "is nothing like the prosperous Eids of the past."

"The Israeli strikes have disrupted daily life, and most people simply don't have money to spend. Many have lost their homes and livelihoods," Tabaja said.

In Kafr Kila, Mayor Hassan Chit described how Eid traditions have been reduced to mourning. "People only visit the graves of those who were martyred," he said. "Many cemeteries themselves have been bombed."

Eid prayers in many towns took place amidst rubble. "About 90 percent of the homes, mosques, and community halls in the frontline villages are damaged or destroyed," Chit said. "Even the prefabricated homes set up for displaced families are being targeted."

As Israel has maintained a military presence at five "strategic" locations along the Lebanese border, failing to complete a full withdrawal from Lebanon's south as agreed under the ceasefire, Chit called for the Lebanese army to assume full control over the region and urged Israel to abide by the ceasefire agreement, including UN Resolution 1701. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)