Israeli soldiers fire on Lebanese civilians returning to their villages under ceasefire — 22-24 killed, 120-228 injured

On January 26, 2025, Israeli soldiers fired on civilian convoys returning to their homes in southern Lebanon under the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire. Between 22 and 24 people were killed and 120 to 228 were injured. The civilians were exercising their right to return as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. Israel had failed to withdraw from these areas as agreed. UN human rights experts demanded that Israel 'stop killing civilians returning to their homes.'

Reported Casualties

24 Civilian

The Shooting

On January 26, 2025, displaced Lebanese civilians attempted to return to their homes in southern Lebanon. Under the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, they had every right to do so — the agreement stipulated that displaced populations could return to their villages.

There was one problem: Israel had failed to withdraw from these areas as agreed. The ceasefire’s initial deadline had passed with Israeli forces still occupying positions they were supposed to have vacated.

Israeli soldiers fired on the civilian convoys. Between 22 and 24 people were killed. Between 120 and 228 were injured. The casualty figures varied across reporting outlets, reflecting the difficulty of assembling precise counts in an active military zone, but all sources confirmed the scale.

The Victims

The people shot were unarmed civilians — families attempting to return to homes they had been displaced from during the 2024 war. They were traveling in convoys, in daylight, along roads leading to their own villages. They were not combatants. They were not carrying weapons. They were going home.

International Response

UN human rights experts issued a statement demanding that Israel “stop killing civilians returning to their homes.” The language was direct and unambiguous by UN standards — reflecting the clarity of the circumstances.

The incident occurred within the broader context of what UNIFIL would eventually document as over 10,000 Israeli ceasefire violations. The November 2024 agreement was ceasefire in name only: Israel continued near-daily strikes, destroyed over 10,000 civilian structures, and killed at least 331 people during the nominal ceasefire period. The shooting of returning civilians was the single most visible incident, but it was part of a systematic pattern.

Significance

This incident is significant for what it represents in the legal and moral framework of the conflict. The ceasefire was an internationally mediated agreement. The right of return was a core provision. Israel’s failure to withdraw was already a violation. Shooting civilians exercising their ceasefire rights compounded the violation with lethal force against protected persons.

No Israeli military personnel faced consequences for the shooting.