Karine Gemayel, president of the Kelna Ayleh association, has called on the Lebanese State to take urgent measures to support residents of besieged villages in southern Lebanon, warning that worsening living conditions are threatening their ability to remain on their land.

In an appeal titled “A Call for the Resilient Villages,” Gemayel said the determination of residents in Ain Ebel, Debel and Rmeish was not only an act of personal endurance but also a commitment to Lebanon and a guarantee that the South would remain part of the country. Supporting these communities, she said, would help pave the way for the reconstruction of other villages and the return of their residents.

She urged the government to draw up a comprehensive emergency plan in coordination with the Lebanese army, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and international bodies to ensure that daily life can continue in the villages.

The proposed measures include equipping health centers with essential medical supplies and medicines, providing at least one fully equipped operating room and arranging regular visits by doctors. She also called for fuel to keep generators running and maintain electricity and water supplies, assistance for farmers seeking to harvest their olives, and temporary job opportunities for young people and families who have lost their livelihoods.

Gemayel said civil defense centers also needed equipment and vehicles, while schools required support to ease the financial burden on families and protect children's education.

A visit amid destruction

Speaking at a news conference, Gemayel recounted a visit by a Kelna Ayleh delegation to the villages the previous week. Reaching the area was difficult, she said, with the delegation waiting several days for authorization from the Lebanese army, UNIFIL and the Mechanism Committee.

The journey revealed abandoned villages, destroyed homes and long stretches of devastation, with little sign of life. Against that backdrop, arriving in Ain Ebel offered a striking contrast.

“Amid all that destruction, we found an island of life that is still holding on,” she said, referring to the three villages and their residents.

The delegation moved between the communities, meeting residents, mayors, mukhtars and priests. It visited health centers, civil defense facilities and schools, joined residents in prayer and offered condolences to families who had lost loved ones. The team also heard accounts of hardship that, Gemayel said, were difficult to put into words.

What struck her most was the residents' determination to remain on their land despite the hardship and deprivation. Many are reluctant to leave because they fear they may never be able to return. Under the current circumstances, she said, leaving their homes could mean losing their land for good.

Their attachment, she added, goes beyond their houses and property. It is also rooted in their connection to Lebanon, their Lebanese identity and the lives they and their families have built there over decades.

Daily life under threat

During the visit, the delegation repeatedly heard drones overhead, along with explosions and shelling. Gemayel said one of the most distressing aspects was that residents had grown accustomed to these sounds as part of their everyday lives.

“Why should children have to grow up under the sound of drones, living in constant fear and paying the price for a war they never chose and have no part in?” she asked.

Residents are living under occupation, she said, and their daily routines have been profoundly disrupted. Going to work, moving between areas and reaching agricultural land — a vital source of income for many families — have become extremely difficult. Many have lost their jobs or their ability to earn a living and provide for their families.

Even access to medical care can be a challenge. Residents seeking treatment at hospitals in Tyre must obtain permits that can take around 48 hours to secure, a delay that could put patients' lives at risk, including in cases requiring relatively simple but urgent medical intervention.

Gemayel said local health centers lacked essential equipment, medicines and regular access to doctors. Civil defense teams also needed equipment and vehicles to respond to emergencies. Fuel supplies for generators were equally urgent to ensure access to electricity and water, particularly as winter approaches.

Families are facing additional pressure from rising school fees. With many residents at risk of losing their income, the cost of education is becoming increasingly difficult to bear, alongside medical expenses and other basic needs.

Despite these conditions, Gemayel said, residents remained determined to stay. Their demand was simple: to be able to live with dignity in their homes and on their land.

“They are Lebanese, their land is Lebanese and their homes are Lebanese,” she said. “They are an inseparable part of this country, not second-class citizens. They have the right to the state's protection and care, and to every possible effort to ease their suffering.”

A call for State action

Gemayel argued that the government could take practical steps to improve conditions in the villages even if it could not immediately bring an end to the occupation.

“Nothing prevents the state from taking these measures except the decision to do so,” she said. “The fact that it cannot liberate the South does not mean it cannot make people's lives better and ease the hardships they face every day.”

Kelna Ayleh has decided to stand alongside the residents and continue its work in the area, she said, so they do not feel abandoned.

“This is a national duty — one Lebanese citizen standing with another,” Gemayel said.

“We will carry your voices across Lebanon and keep pressing until the state takes responsibility for you. We have seen you, listened to you and felt your pain. We will not leave you behind.”