International • 07:50 • Modified at 09:07
Israel resumes attacks in Lebanon and Gaza: 'Ceasefire no longer exists'
Author : Lotte van Coevorden
Israel once again violated the ceasefire in Lebanon yesterday. The army bombed a building in the south of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. It is now the third time since November last year that Israel has violated the ceasefire. Air strikes also took place in Gaza last night, killing at least fifty people.

"It is the third time since November that Israel has attacked Beirut. But Israel carries out attacks on the south of Lebanon almost daily," Israel correspondent Ralph Dekkers explains. According to the ceasefire, which was agreed in November, Israel may only take action under certain conditions, namely if a direct threat is perceived. "Israel says that this time it bombed a warehouse with weapons, after the population in the area had been warned."

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The president of Lebanon, however, calls this action a new violation of the ceasefire and sees the situation very differently. 'We do not know exactly what Israel has done behind the scenes. In principle, Israel should submit such threats to an international commission, including France and the United States. The president of Lebanon has now called on these countries to rein in Israel. He claims that these actions undermine his power, while he himself is trying to restrain Hezbollah. The Israeli attacks make that task more difficult.'

'Ceasefire no longer exists'
Although it is not an outright war, Dekkers states that the ceasefire 'actually no longer exists'. The Lebanese army cannot yet fully assert its authority in the south of the country, he explains. 'Hezbollah fighters are still active there, and Israel is taking action against them.'

'According to the agreement of November last year, the Israeli army should have left the country long ago'
Ralph Dekkers, Israel correspondent

Another clear violation, according to Dekkers, is that Israel is still present in five places in southern Lebanon. 'According to the agreement of November last year, the Israeli army should have left the country long ago.'

New escalation in Gaza
The situation in Gaza is also worrying. Yesterday, more than 50 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, and that number threatens to rise. Israel now has 50 percent of the territory under control. 'The fighting on the ground has mainly been airstrikes, real ground fighting has not really broken out yet', says Dekkers. 'Hamas has avoided confrontation so far, but because Israel is controlling more and more territory, it is expected that there will soon be heavy fighting on the ground.'

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Negotiations
In Qatar and Egypt, there is now talk about a possible extension of a temporary ceasefire, or a new temporary truce. So far, however, these attempts have not been successful. According to Dekkers, a ceasefire seems further away than ever. 'Qatar and Egypt are still trying, with a proposal for a truce of at least five years. But the biggest problem is that Hamas refuses to hand over its weapons. As long as that remains the case, Israel will remain militarily active.'