A ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon for a few weeks now. Although this is proving to be fragile, for many people it has calmed the situation to some extent and reduced the threat. Until the end of november, the war in Lebanon has forced around 1,2 million people out of their homes, villages and towns. As Israel increased its airstrikes, not only the displaced population was confronted with unknown consequences. In a politically and economically fragile Lebanon, the longing for a lasting peace is stronger than ever. Forum ZFD is one of the many international organizations working for peace in Lebanon that was forced to evacuate most of its staff, which is returning now. Some local members of the team stayed in the country and tried desperately to contribute to their peace building duties. In the following three interviews, we get a glimpse of the personal and professional reflection on the situation in Libanon.
Interview with Soha Fleyfil
My name is Soha Fleyfil and I have been working with forumZFD Lebanon for the past 10 years on “Dealing with the Past”. My job is to create conversations about the impact of contested violent events on the inhabitants of Lebanon.
How is your life at this moment?
Since more than one year, violence gradually spread across the middle east and I have been highly concerned about the impact of these events on the people living in this region.
My greatest worry has been the internally displaced people and the way the host community is treating them. Thus, since December 2023, I have been going with my team to different locations around Lebanon to talk about the violence and displacement. Since last September, when the bombarding of Lebanon has intensified, I have developed a strong urgency to actively help the people on the ground but at the same time I feel crippled by the fear and uncertainty that we are living day and night. I would wake up early to read the news, try to understand what has happened at night. To get some sense of “normality”, I would then go out to meet friends, colleagues, or others in coffee shops when the safety situation would allow this. Not just talking about the situation, brain storming ideas for intervention, reflecting on politics, feelings and thoughts are the aim of these coffees, but also to understand my role as a peace builder in times of crisis. Later back at home would be the time to meet online with work colleagues, brain storm ideas, check on the situation, and maybe dream about the future. The longest time during the day is the evening, where I would be waiting for the night air strikes to start and finding ways to wipe the tiredness of the day. Usually from 11 pm till 3 am I would be in bed, listening to the sounds of the air strikes, feeling my bed shaking from the blasts and hoping that the missiles would not by accident wipe out my house before I fall asleep.
Can you do any of your Peace Building work in these times?
What is peace building now? If you mean by peace, supporting people to have peace of mind, then yes, we are trying to do peace work. Are we succeeding? I don’t know. I am trying to be close to people that I work with, listen to and interact with. I am hoping when things settle down a bit more, I will be able to do more work on supporting people to have better peaceful minds.
What are the challenges you are going through?
Finding meaning, knowing what to do next on a professional and security level, making a decision on whether to stay or to leave, to move on or just stop. On the security level, the challenge is losing the luxury of going around the country the way that I would want. Being so unpredictable, these days any place is a target for an airstrike and this is scary. The overcrowded city with displaced people looking for shelters is exhausting, horrible traffic at any time during the day, even on weekends. The over crowdedness is so loud that sometimes it is deafening. Going out of the city is risky as well, because people are being targeted in their cars on the roads thus you never know if the car next to you on the highway is a target or not.
What do people in Lebanon need or wish for?
People wish that this is over. Wish that the whole destruction has never started. But if you ask me what they are afraid of, I would say, they are afraid of what will happen tomorrow. Tomorrow when the war is over and there is no home to return to! Tomorrow when the money they have saved is gone on rent for houses and clothes that they originally had and now lost! Tomorrow when people find out what they have really lost!
What could be the solutions for the country and its people?
Political change, accountability, and the rule of law.
Interview with Zeina Majzoub
My name is Zeina Majzoub and I work with forumZFD as a project manager in Lebanon. I am engaged in the field of community mobilizing for conflict transformation. My role involves collaborating with partner organizations and local change-makers to develop conflict transformation and community engagement initiatives, while also fostering a conflict-sensitive environment and culture.
How is your life at this moment?
It has been over a month since I left my home in search of a safer place. Although I am physically in a secure environment and mentally reassured that my kids are under a safe roof, uncertainty is overshadowing all aspects of my life. I'm unsure when the country will be safe enough to return. My thoughts are constantly with my bigger family who remain in Lebanon. Every day, I navigate a complex array of emotions and mental states: feeling guilty for being safe, sad and helpless, while also missing my home and feeling destabilized. The instability and unpredictability of the situation make it difficult to find peace of mind or a sense of normality.
What are the challenges you are going through?
The current situation in Lebanon has been incredibly challenging on multiple fronts. Physically, I’m outside of the country, but my heart and thoughts are constantly with the ones who are in Lebanon, living the daily threats and insecurity, being constantly on high alert all the time. I find myself in a persistent instability. The psychological pressure of living in the uncertainty of when and if it will be safe to return back home and to my normal life. My worries about the safety of my loved ones is overwhelming. The constant news of violence and destruction in Lebanon and the strain of witnessing the suffering weighs heavily on me.
Can you do any of your Peace Building work in these times?
Despite these hardships, the resilience and solidarity within the Lebanese community, the dedication and the engagement of the local efforts give hope to Lebanon and encourages me to work for peace. During this period, humanitarian aid in terms of food, shelter, and hygiene has been the primary focus. It has been crucial to navigate these needs while recognizing that peace-building is still relevant. Despite the dominance of the immediate humanitarian aid needs, it remains important to integrate efforts for safe spaces, emotional support, empathy circles/active listening, recreational activities and education. Balancing these needs is challenging but vital for both immediate relief and long-term stability. I believe it is crucial to consider reflecting on ways of intervention and peace-building work after a ceasefire in Lebanon. Our efforts are much needed, particularly in addressing collective trauma and rebuilding community trust to contribute in the long run restoration, supporting the community recovery and thrive once more.
What do people in Lebanon need or wish for?
People in Lebanon and people of Lebanon wish for peace and security seeking the opportunity to rebuild our lives and communities in a safe and dignified manner. We yearn for control over our lives and the ability to live in dignity. We desire to preserve our safe homes and our memories. We desire to see our efforts flourishing we have put to build a so called life in Lebanon. We desire to live under a secure roof , we desire to get off the burden of uncertainty and anxiety of what may happen during the next hour, during the day or tomorrow.
What could be the solutions for the country and its people?
It is deeply complex. Several key areas need to be addressed to bring about positive change and stability: political reform, economic stability, humanitarian support, security and peace building, social cohesion and community engagement.
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Interview with Carole Maroun
My name is Carole Maroun and I am the Communications and Public Relations Advisor at forumZFD Lebanon.
How is your life at this moment?
My days blur into a cycle of fear, exhaustion, and helplessness. I am currently working from home in Lebanon because many of my colleagues have had to leave the country. The air around us is heavy with tension, warnings of areas about to be bombed punctuate the hours. Fighter jets roar overhead, their low hum is a constant reminder that destruction is near. Sometimes it’s fake raids, sometimes it’s real. The difference is irrelevant when you’re living under this shadow. My online meetings are interrupted by the gut-wrenching sound of fighter jets sonic booms. Between calls, I scroll through social media for updates, a grim inventory of damage, suffering and loss. Families displaced, children traumatized, entire neighborhoods shattered overnight. Every evening, I force myself to look at the news one last time before bed, bracing for the nightmare of air raids that inevitably comes with the darkness. This is life now. It feels less like living and more like enduring.
What are the challenges you are going through?
Fear has become a constant companion, wrapping itself around every decision. Do I leave the house today? Will the place I visit still be standing when I return? Nowhere feels safe and the weight of that is unbearable. The destruction around us isn’t just physical, it seeps into your soul, draining every ounce of energy and resolve. As a mother, my instinct is to protect my children. As a Lebanese citizen, I feel trapped. I hold an American passport, but leaving isn’t an option right now due to family circumstances. Yet every day, I wonder if staying is a mistake, if I’ll regret not leaving when it was still possible. My family in the U.S. begs me to come, their voices filled with panic, but the paralysis of uncertainty holds me in place. Adding to this burden is the knowledge that the country I once called home, the U.S. and the country my organization belongs to, Germany, are actively funding the weapons tearing my birth country apart.
How do you reconcile love for a place with the devastation it’s causing?
It’s a moral wound that doesn’t heal.
What do people in Lebanon need or wish for?
We need an end to this endless suffering. The Lebanese people are crying out for justice, for stability, for the right to simply exist without fear. We are battered and broken from decades of wars, economic collapse, the Beirut explosion and now this relentless destruction. What we wish for is simple: peace. A chance to rebuild our lives without fearing that everything we create will be destroyed again. We want the freedom to dream, to hope, to live. Most of all, we want to feel human again.
Can you do any of your Peace Building work in these times?
Doing my work feels like an uphill battle against despair. As a communications advisor, my role is to share stories of hope and transformation, but how can I talk about peace when the world around me is crumbling? Our organization, forumZFD, has lost the trust of many local partners because of Germany’s involvement in this war. Even though our mission hasn’t changed, we are seen as complicit and it’s devastating to witness this. On a personal level, separating my work from the suffering around me is almost impossible. I’m inundated with stories of pain and loss, unable to escape the relentless stream of bad news. The sounds of bombs growing closer, the worry for loved ones and the desperate need to shield my children from this horror make focusing on anything feel futile. How do you promise your children safety when you’re not sure you can deliver it?
What could be the solutions for the country and its people?
The only real solution is peace. Not a fragile ceasefire, but a genuine, lasting peace that allows Lebanon to heal. We need time to pick up the pieces of a country that has been shattered again and again. But peace isn’t just the absence of war, it’s the presence of justice. It means confronting our painful history and finding ways to coexist despite our differences. It means international powers stepping back and allowing us the space to reclaim our dignity and independence. Lebanon’s people are tired. We are ready to build a future, but we can’t do it alone. We need the world to stop contributing to our destruction and start supporting our right to live in peace.