The Qasimeyh Bridge in South Lebanon was destroyed by Israeli missiles. SUBMITTED PHOTO
By Dr. HIND AKAR
April 27 marked Day 11 of the latest “ceasefire” in Lebanon, but for the Lebanese people, the word has lost all meaning as there has been no reprieve. Israel’s attacks have continued without pause, carried out with total impunity and met with a deafening silence from the international community. Since March 2, and until the 25th of April, more than 2500 Lebanese have been killed per the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon.
This is a pattern. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, reported that Israeli forces are responsible for nearly 10,000 violations in less than a year of the ceasefire, which took effect on Nov. 27, 2024. The UN also stated that the Israeli forces killed at least 108 civilians in the first 10 months of the ceasefire, including 16 children, and abducted 19 Lebanese civilians. Israel is violating the ceasefire on a near daily basis, officials have said. It is noteworthy that the Lebanese side held to the agreement and committed no military actions.
Pictorial timeline of the destruction of South Lebanon by the Israeli military
The scale of the “domicide”— the deliberate destruction of the home — that Isreal is committing in South Lebanon is horrifying. Entire villages have been erased; more than 60 have been ethnically cleansed. More than 62,000 structures in Lebanon have been reduced to rubble — a number that exceeds the total housing units of the city of Peoria. This is not accidental collateral damage; it is a stated policy. Defense Minister Israel Katz openly called for the destruction of “all houses” in border villages, following the “model” used in Rafah and Beit Hanoun.
I struggle to comprehend the soul of a person who can wire a family home with explosives and press the button with pride. These are not just buildings; they are the physical manifestations of sweat, tears, and ancestral heritage.
The Israeli violence is relentless. On April 8 alone, Israel launched more than 100 airstrikes in 10 minutes. My siblings, working in Beirut that day, described an apocalyptic scene of flying debris and sounds that defy description. In a few minutes, more than 300 lives were extinguished. Among them was a nurse from my hometown, a mother and wife who was at a pharmacy seeking aid for the displaced when the building was bombed to rubble. In that same pharmacy, two sisters — one a visiting doctor from the U.S. — were vaporized so completely that nothing remained for their memorial. Total deaths since October 2023 is more than 4,100.
On April 27 new Israeli threats were issued for Nabatieh, one of the South’s largest and most historic cities. I am in a state of panic, knowing the soul and character of that place is now in the crosshairs.
Is this the “new world” we live in? Where sadistic violence is met with neither objection nor consequence? While the “advanced West” is lecturing the rest of the world on human rights and rule of law continues to supply the weapons for this domicide, we are left asking: When will the laws be enforced? When will the trials begin? When will this stop?
— Dr. Hind Akar is a Lebanese American and a retired scientist who has resided in Peoria for more than 30 years. She continues to work with scientific and civic organizations on local and international issues.