GENEVA

The UN human rights chief on Wednesday called for renewed efforts to achieve a permanent end to hostilities in Lebanon and warned that civilian suffering has continued despite a ceasefire agreement in place since November 2024.

"The continued suffering inflicted on the population despite an agreed ceasefire, including the killing of over 100 civilians in the past 10 months, is tragic and must stop," Volker Turk said in a statement.

Since the ceasefire of Nov. 27, 2024, the Lebanese Armed Forces have accused Israel of thousands of violations, including alleged attacks on civilians and home demolitions.

The statement said that the Israeli army has been quoted as confirming that it has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on what it described as Hezbollah targets.

"We are still seeing devastating impacts of jet and drone strikes in residential areas, as well as near UN peacekeepers in the south," Turk said.

He said families are unable to rebuild their lives, while "hundreds of damaged schools, health facilities, places of worship, among other civilian sites, are still no-go zones, or at best, only partly useable."

Up until the end of September, the UN rights office has verified 103 civilian deaths in Lebanon since the ceasefire, including five killed in a Sept. 21 Israeli drone strike in Bint Jbeil. Turk called for "an independent and impartial investigation" into such incidents.

More than 80,000 people remain displaced in Lebanon as a result of the ongoing violence, Turk said, adding that the situation for migrants and refugees has deteriorated further.

"At all times during the conduct of hostilities, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected," he stressed, urging all parties to implement UN Security Council resolution 1701 and move toward a "durable peace."