Lebanon ceasefire: Civil society ramps up reconstruction

When Fatima Atiyeh arrived at her home in the Lebanese coastal town of Tyre on the first day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, anticipation gave way to sadness.

"My house is damaged, the windows are broken and the doors are torn off," she told DW on Thursday.

"The first night was very difficult," Atiyeh said, adding that she pinned a sheet to the frame of her bedroom door for a sense of privacy. "I didn't feel safe, and yet it felt so good to be home again even though there was no electricity and no water." 

The majority of the around 1.3 million Lebanese who, like Atiyeh, fled fearing Israeli strikes, decided to return to their homes in light of the current ceasefire. 

The ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States and France, calls for a 60-day break in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that killed at least 3,823 people and injured 15,859 more in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Hezbollah strikes have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. At least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights, and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.

Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, Germany and several other countries while the European Union classifies Hezbollah's armed wing as a terror group.

A struggling economy worsened by war

While attacks have largely stopped, many in Lebanon are wondering where to turn to repair or rebuild their homes. The World Bank recently estimated that physical damage and economic losses in Lebanon amounted to $8.5 billion (€8 billion).

Even before Hezbollah had started striking Israel in support of Hamas, another Iran-backed designated terror organization in Gaza, Lebanon was politically and economically already in  bad shape. 

A caretaker government has been in place since 2022, and a political vacuum has left many governmental institutions in Beirut incapable of acting.

It remains to be seen if this will change early next year after Lebanon's parliamentary speaker, Nabih Berri, this week announced presidential elections for January 2025.

Lebanon has also been on the brink of an economic breakdown that has worsened as a consequence of the war. According to Human Rights Watch, nearly 80% of Lebanon's population has been living under the poverty line after inflation hit 250%.

Cooperation as a solution?

"The current situation is a massive burden to the financial sector that has all but collapsed," said Anna Fleischer, director of the Beirut office of the German Heinrich Böll Foundation.

"The government alone will not be able to shoulder this burden," she told DW.

In her view, it is most likely that private initiatives will be the first to try to rebuild what has been damaged or destroyed.

However, activists alone cannot shoulder the burden of rebuilding a country, she said. 

"The humanitarian response for Lebanon, like the country's population, is at the mercy of significant political forces and interests," Lynn Zovighian, the founder of the Beirut-based Zovighian Public Office, which safeguards communities facing crimes of atrocity, told DW.

In her view, Lebanon's civil society has been tasked with the "almost impossible mission to rebuild a country in the absence of a state, to convert emergency aid into strategic, needs-based funding and to define a long-term vision."

She is convinced activists and local grassroots organizations need to be empowered and included in future funding decisions that will affect people's lives for years to come.

"The population needs assets that must last longer than just our lifetime, like homes, roads, security, medical infrastructure and economic enablement," she said. 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) echoed her view.

"In Lebanon, civil society organizations play a crucial role in helping bridge the gap between recovery plans and the real needs of the people," UNDP spokesperson Antoine Maalouf told DW. 

"They are the ones that can support in ensuring that recovery efforts such as rubble removal, cleaning streets, repairing infrastructure and reestablishing service are people-centered by engaging with local communities and supporting grassroots initiatives," Maalouf said. 

Civil society steps in

"We know that the government or municipality won't provide any help in the near future," Ali Safieddine, a 20-year-old citizen of Tyre, told DW.

"That's why my sister and I decided to launch and spread announcements for window and aluminum repairs for damaged homes," he said, highlighting that they are keeping prices so low that people can afford to repair their homes.

Currently, they are working on windows for 40 homes.

"The first step is to cover the houses with plastic sheets, then we will install the windows," Safieddine explained.

"We are also recruiting workers due to the high demand," he said. "We can help people get back to work while also securing their homes," he told DW.

Salah Sebraoui, the deputy mayor of Tyre, doesn't hide that he is glad about these initiatives.

"The needs of the population are enormous and the municipality has limited resources," he told DW.

Currently, the municipality is focused on repairing the water station and providing electricity, Sebraoui said.

"About 90% of the city is in darkness," he added.

However, as of now, there is neither a detailed plan for reconstruction nor has there been a municipal council meeting, he told DW.

Edited by: Sean M. Sinico