Nakoura, Southern Lebanon – Wearing an olive green jacket and jeans, Mayor Abbas stood next to the ruins of a family home where he lived with his wife and two children for the past 15 years.
Softly spoken, charismatic, forty-something Awada welcomed the residents of the family home town and was welcoming a large family gathering with his wife.
The house survived more than a year of war, including a 66-day invasion.
It was after Israeli forces destroyed the homes where Awada children were raised after a ceasefire between Israeli and Lebanese groups began in November.
From the start of Hezbollah and Israel’s battle on October 8, 2023 until the ceasefire began on November 27, 2024, Israel killed nearly 4,000 people, leaving waves of devastation throughout Lebanon, especially in the south.
And despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces continue to attack Lebanon.
A “ceasefire” with only names?
According to the ceasefire agreement, which initially lasted for 60 days, Hezbollah was to retreat north of the Ritani River, which runs through southern Lebanon. Israel also had to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, with the Lebanese Army (LAF) taking over the south.
Many in Lebanon believed that a ceasefire would end Israeli attacks. However, Israel continued its attack and justified its actions when it attempted to “dismantle and destroy” its self-declared goal, Hezbollah.
Some of their actions were intentionally destroying houses in southern villages like Nakoura, escaping the violence and destroying those who wanted to return to their homes when it stopped.
“I’m still watching it,” Awada said softly as he looked at his house.
He pointed to the entrance and explained the layout of the house. He just said that the kitchen and dining room where he once stood was a pile of concrete and steel. An Israeli bulldozer knocked down the walls of his house.
The TV was still standing among the wreckage, mounted on exposed living room walls, plagued by bullet holes.
“They just wanted to destroy it,” he said.
He has not yet taken his 11 and 14 year olds to see the abandoned ins.
Legal Agenda, a Beirut-based non-profit research and advocacy organization, found that by late January Israel had committed more than 855 ceasefire violations.
Ameneh Mehvar, a senior analyst in the Middle East, Acled, an organization that collects data on conflicts, told Al Jazeera that he has recorded “more than 330 air strikes and artillery incidents” since the ceasefire.
It wasn’t like that, retreat
Nakoura, located on the southern border of Lebanon, was suffering severe damage during the war, but had not been invaded by the time the ceasefire began.
In mid-December, Israeli forces entered Nakoura and began reporting that they were destroying houses and buildings in other villages in southern Lebanon.
Israel’s withdrawal was supposed to be completed by January 26th. However, despite denial from the Lebanese government, Israel announced that it will expand until February 18th with US support.
Israel announced on Monday that it will “leave temporary deployment of forces at five strategic points” in Lebanon.
The Israelis retreated from Nakoura in early January and were able to see what remained in the villages and homes after the random violence that the residents attacked them.
“They used bulldozers for revenge.”
On the winding street behind the Nakoura municipal building, 75-year-old Ali Shaabi still laments his fruit tree and the deliberate damage that hit them.
He stepped neatly onto the tiled rub and reached the garden, explaining that he had not stopped watering the trees until he had to evacuate.
“I didn’t leave them,” he said.
The plump grapefruit hangs from one tree, while the mango tree is located on the ground nearby. The strategic objectives, torn off the ground by Israeli soldiers during the ceasefire, were unknown.
He stood on the front door of the burnt house where he lived with his wife, children and grandchildren, explaining it was on fire.
Shaabi stayed behind the house when the rest of his family got tired during the war. When Israel’s attacks on Lebanon intensified, civil defense workers eventually evacuated him in September last year, and he joined his family.
When he left it, his house was fine, he explained, and was damaged only during the ceasefire. Currently, the basement and upper floors are burnt, and the entire structure must be supported by pylons.
“They got bulldozers,” he said. “They came to Nakoura with the bulldozers for revenge.”
The family was even filming clothes that were probably hanging and shot by Israeli soldiers.
Nakoura is a predominantly Shiite town, among which Hezbollah is a demographic that traditionally enjoys a lot of support. In fact, the Hezbollah flag was planted in some tiled bles in the destroyed buildings of Nakoura.
Anyway, the destruction of homes and private infrastructure is prohibited under international law, and many Lebanese viewed it as an indiscriminate punishment for Shia communities across Lebanon.
“No one is Hezbollah,” Shaabi said. “Shia are not always Hezbollah.”
“I miss the village”
It was difficult during the war to get news about whether your home is still standing, but some villagers like Reem Taher have a regular satellite in their neighborhood to see what’s going on. I found a way to pay for the images.
Before the war, Taher ran a hairdresser business, but had to tire of her when the bombing began.
Images she was paying for showed that her home was still intact, including on November 26th, the day before the ceasefire.
However, at 11am on November 27th, she received another report. After surviving a year of Israeli air raids, her home is now abandoned.
“They enjoyed blowing my house away, leveling my land, and even cutting down trees,” she told Al Jazeera at a home rented in the Hosh district of Tyre. The buildings across the road were leveled.
“I miss drinking coffee in the mornings at the sea. I miss gatherings in the garden and evenings. A call to prayer from my village, nights of Ramadan… I choose Clementine from the trees.
“I miss everything about my village – the sunset, the pine trees, and the sea glow from afar.”
“This ceasefire is a lie.”
On February 13th, when Al Jazeera visited Nakoura, almost all of the homes were reduced to piles of wreckage and the infrastructure was in abandoned.
The electric poles were pulled out of the ground, local schools had bullet holes, and the burning vehicle bodies were abandoned.
“They destroyed mosques, cemeteries, and infrastructure – roads, water, electricity. Whatever they provided a means of living, they destroyed,” Tahar said.
Some houses were commanded by Israeli soldiers. The Israeli soldiers were scattered across them with food packaging and supplies brought from Israel.
The walls were covered in Hebrew writing, with mostly shift schedules. However, in one fridge, the soldier left a message. “We’ve now started to drive away the darkness.”
The Sanad, Al Jazeera verification agency compared satellite images from December 3, 2024 and January 19, 2025.
Images from December 3rd show many structures, including Awada’s home and municipal buildings, with little visible damage.
Images from January 19th show the structure destroyed inside the Awada home.
From December 11, 2024 to January 6, 2025, we recorded 14 instances of the Israeli army that conducted controlled explosions and bulldozing in Nakoura’s house. Data show that each incident involved multiple homes.
Sitting on what remained on his pouch, Shaabi’s chain smoked and surrounded by his family, children and grandchildren.
For many in Nakoura, the promise of a ceasefire has brought hope to go home. They didn’t expect their home to be damaged or destroyed during the ceasefire.
Between the Puffs, Shaabi said, “This ceasefire is a lie.”
