Abou Chach, Lebanon – We arrive at Abou Chach, which lies a few kilometres from the border with Israel, and, like so many other villages, it has been destroyed by war. We meet a family among a few who have returned to what is still an area of conflict.
Living in what they describe as a ghost town, the Shabbi family has to contend with the destruction around them, with the children missing out on their education because the village school has been destroyed.
“We are living a primitive life,” said Kawthar, noting that her family now sleep in what used to be the cow’s shed.
Like thousands of other people across the region, her family’s home was destroyed by an Israeli strike. After months of low-level hostilities, Israel launched an all-out war in September 2024, with the stated aim of defeating Hezbollah.
A cessation of hostilities agreement came into force two months later, which was supposed to bring peace and allow for reconstruction. Instead, Israeli attacks against Hezbollah targets continue, and the presence of the Israeli military in Lebanese territory is preventing nearly 100,000 people from returning.
“We couldn’t continue to pay rent. We were displaced for more than a year,” Kawthar explained. “We used to rely on our land for our livelihood, so that’s why we had to come back.”
Their only guests are United Nations peacekeepers, with whom they have created a bond and whose mission is not only to help the state regain sovereignty here, but to support a community that welcomes any help.
“It’s difficult living in a place where the nearest grocery shop is a 30-minute drive away,” Kawthar said.
Human rights groups like Amnesty International have called for a probe into Israel’s widespread destruction of civilian property in southern Lebanon, saying its actions should be investigated as war crimes.
At the time, Erika Guevara Rosas, a senior director at Amnesty, said the destruction had “rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives”.
Between the start of Israel’s ground offensive on October 1 last year and this January, more than 10,000 structures were “heavily damaged or destroyed”, according to the NGO.
“Given the scale of destruction carried out by the Israeli military, many residents of southern Lebanon have nothing to return to,” said Rosas.
Kawthar’s daughter Zahra explains their new life. “In the past, our friends were in this village. There were shops; there were people in the streets. We used to go to school… This is no longer the case, but we are happy to be back.”
Others aren’t able to reach their villages because of the dangers. There’s a new reality here. Villages along the border with Israel are wastelands, and it is no longer possible to drive on the road that runs along the contested frontier. The Israeli army built positions blocking it in some villages.
Lebanon insists Israel must withdraw from positions within Lebanon and stop attacks so that it can deploy the army and fulfil the terms of the ceasefire, but Israel says Lebanon needs to disarm Hezbollah first.
The Shaabi family did not want to talk about the fragile ceasefire, the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory and the controversial and divisive issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament. “We just want to be able to live our lives in peace,” Kawthar told us. Their fear of discussing politics is understandable. They live alone, trapped in a conflict, with no presence of the state.
But for this family, it’s home.
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