Photo outside the United Nations in New York by Luigi Morris
UPDATE, 03 OCTOBER 2024: Since the attacks began on September 23 in Lebanon, the country’s authorities report that the number of people killed has reached 1,974, and over 1.2 million people have been displaced. The number of Syrian refugees killed in the attacks has reached 137, including 40 children, with another 21 injured. In Palestine, 41,788 people have been killed and 96,794 injured due to Israel's war in Gaza.
Please sign this petition to pressure UN member states and help bring justice and peace today.
Together, let’s demand that the UN declares a ceasefire in Lebanon and Palestine and ends arms sales to Israel – to protect all civilian lives, including 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Time is running out. As Israel announces that it may soon invade Lebanon, the international community – gathered right now in New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) – cannot turn a blind eye. World leaders must act now to stop the attacks.
According to Lebanese authorities, since September 23rd, 700 people have been killed in Lebanon and nearly 500,000 have been displaced due to the military intervention carried out by the Israeli army in Lebanon. Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this week, the number of Syrian refugees killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon has reached 113, including 35 children, with another 21 injured. In Palestine, more than 41,000 people have been killed and 96,000 injured due to Israel's war in Gaza.
For over 1.5 million Syrians, Lebanon has become a second home after they fled the horrors of war and torture in Syria. Syria is not safe for refugees to return to, where there are ongoing risks of arbitrary arrest and torture. Now, in the face of the conflict devastating Lebanon, Syrians are once again being forcibly displaced from their homes but have no safe place to go.
The scale of attacks by Israel over the past year are unprecedented and amount to genocide and crimes against humanity. To protect civilians in the region the international flow of weapons towards Israel must stop.
Hezbollah must also be brought to justice. We will never forget the starvation sieges and other atrocities Hezbollah inflicted in Syria to prop up the Assad regime. Impunity is dangerous to humanity and not holding war criminals to account is allowing all tyrants to commit more.
This is a decisive moment, where crucial decisions can be made to stop the ongoing conflicts and protect the lives of civilians, particularly those from vulnerable communities facing extreme hardship. We must all act together now to put pressure on the United Nations to secure a ceasefire and protect lives.