Middle East

NPR  

Today is the final full day of the ceasefire agreement between the U.S., Israel and Iran. The future of peace talks remains uncertain. A temporary ceasefire remains in place in Lebanon, but people there are closely monitoring the situation between the U.S. and Iran.

NPR's Kat Lonsdorf, who is in south Lebanon, tells Up First that there is a sense there that if U.S.-Iran talks fall apart, so will the temporary ceasefire that pauses the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Life hasn't returned to normal for residents in Lebanon as Israel continues to occupy significant land along the border to prevent Hezbollah attacks. Many of the more than one million people displaced in this war cannot return home. People Londsorf spoke to told her they question how long Israel will occupy the land, even if the ceasefire extends. The last time Israel occupied Southern Lebanon, it did so for nearly two decades.

The Guardian - Israeli soldiers and settlers are using gendered violence and sexual assault and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, human rights and legal experts say. Palestinian women, men and children have reported attacks, forced nudity, invasive and painful body cavity searches, Israelis exposing their genitals, including to minors, and threats of sexual violence. Sixteen cases of conflict-related sexual violence were recorded by researchers for the West Bank Protection Consortium over the last three years, a figure that is likely an under-reporting because of the shame and stigma faced by survivors.