Israelis in Kiryat Shmona test a possible return

We can rebuild what was destroyed, but the loss of loved ones and the memories of war and displacement will remain etched in our minds forever,

Issa reflected

The displaced could hardly sleep, eagerly waiting for dawn,

said Jihad to Xinhua

Displacement is unjust, humiliating, and deeply disturbing,

Abdul Karim told Xinhua

We will remain with our livestock, estimated at 3,000 heads of sheep, in the Khan market, waiting for the instructions of the Lebanese army, which will inform us about our return date,

she told Xinhua

We are happy about the ceasefire, but we cannot return until the Israeli forces leave our village,

she told Xinhua

Rebuilding homes, replanting lands, and restoring life to our villages are monumental tasks, especially with scarce resources and an ongoing economic crisis,

he said

All this damage can be rebuilt. This is our land and we will stay here no matter what,

Salameh said

All the memories are gone,

he said, as he smoked a cigarette

This was my house, my dreams and my hard work,

she said, holding back tears

I feel like my heart has come out of its place,

she said as she looked around what used to be her children’s bedroom

Israel has filled our land with blood. Our big loss is our men,

she said

Lebanon and the Lebanese don’t have a future; we jump from catastrophe to catastrophe,

he says bleakly, emptying cans of cat food next to a tangle of concrete that was, until Monday night, a seven-story building housing multiple families

Muhammadthe Prophet

It might be hard for Europeans and westerners to understand, but this is victory,

said Mohammed, a resident of Bint Jbeil

Hezbollah needs to frame this as a victory: just by surviving and not openly surrendering it considers it has somewhat overcome the invincible Israeli military,

said Karim el-Mufti, a senior lecturer in global affairs at Sciences Po in Paris

Today we come to announce from Bint Jbeil and with confidence that we have won over the Israeli killing machine,

the MP told journalists on Wednesday, a few hours after a ceasefire with Israel took effect

I’m an old woman. I’m not affiliated with anyone. What did I do to deserve this

said Taflah Amar, 79, as she swept debris from the front of her house, one of the few still standing on her street

In the end, what is gone is gone,

said Ramez Boustany, a 62-year-old technician assessing the damage in his apartment

There's nothing like the soil of the south and the scent of the south,

said Khedr, a Lebanese man heading south with his family via Tyre, a coastal city also hit hard by Israeli strikes

Our life savings ... All this destruction,

said Hijazi, as he stepped into an apartment littered with shattered glass and broken furniture

We will inform you when it is safe to return home,

the statement said