For the past year, Israel has unleashed a genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza, which has killed at least 41,000 Palestinians, displaced 90% of Gaza’s population, many time and time again, and caused mass devastation, with two-thirds of buildings in Gaza being damaged or destroyed.
Emboldened by the impunity afforded to it by Western governments, including the UK – an impunity that stretches back decades – Israel has now launched a major bombardment and ground invasion of Lebanon. This follows the simultaneous explosion of hundreds of pagers and electronic devices in Lebanon, killing dozens including two children, in what can only be described as an act of terrorism on a massive scale.
Hundreds have been killed in Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, while around one million people, nearly a fifth of the entire population, has been displaced, among them 100,000 people, including 60,000 children, pushed into Syria. In the last 24 hours, Israel has bombed at least two Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Ein El Hilweh near Sidon and El Buss near Tyre. As in Gaza, Israel is carrying out extensive bombing campaigns, while issuing evacuation orders for dozens of villages in southern Lebanon.
Since launching its genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon, killing over 750 people before this latest round of bombing. Since October 2023, Israel launched 81% of all cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon.
This is not the first time Israel has launched a major assault on Lebanon, which is home to over 480,000 Palestinian refugees, mostly descendants of those expelled by Zionist forces in the Nakba. In June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and supported the Lebanese Forces militia to massacre thousands of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in Beirut. Israel went on to occupy southern Lebanon for 18 years. In 2006, Israel again invaded southern Lebanon, killing over 1,100 civilians and destroying large amounts of civilian infrastructure.
We demand meaningful action including sanctions to put pressure on Israel to immediately end its genocide in Gaza and its attacks on Lebanon. The UK government’s calls for restraint are clearly insufficient when Britain continues to export weapons to Israel to carry out its attacks. We continue to demand a full two-way arms embargo on Israel now.
Join us on 5 October in London as we march, once again, in our hundreds of thousands through London to demand an end to the genocide, an end to Israel’s attacks in Lebanon and neighbouring states, and freedom and justice for all.