A child holds a Palestinian flag during a protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza, as today marks the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, near the ESCWA building, in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 29, 2023. (Credit: Yara Nardi/Reuters)
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Catch up on yesterday's LIVE coverage of Day 54 of the Israel-Hamas war here.
The government approved a mechanism to compensate residents affected by the clashes between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon, caretaker Labor Minister Moustafa Bayram said after yesterday's Cabinet meeting. Bayram said compensation will come after damages are investigated. Hezbollah said on Monday that it had already started compensation.
Discussions about bank reform law, army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun's successor and the deployment of Starlink in Lebanon were all delayed until next week. The bank reform bill was introduced by caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Saade Chami on Nov. 10, crafted by Banque du Liban (BDL) and the Banking Control Commission of Lebanon (CCB). Critics of the bill say it undermines state accountability for the four-year banking crisis that left depositors locked out of their foreign currency accounts. Cabinet also instructed caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam to develop a price monitoring mechanism for the private sector.
Israeli gunfire fell near Lebanese Army patrols in southern Lebanon without causing casualties during three separate incidents yesterday. On Sunday, UNIFIL said its troops were hit by Israeli gunfire without causing any casualties. Such incidents, along with reports of the sound of Israeli drones and military planes, have been occasional interruptions to an otherwise respected truce after seven weeks of border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel.
French envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Lebanese political leaders to unify their positions during his fourth series of meetings, in an effort to expedite the election of a president after more than a year of vacancy. During his meeting with the envoy, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he stressed the priority of ending Israeli aggressions against Gaza and southern Lebanon. Le Drian is set to meet with several political leaders and officials including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun, former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh.
Joining worldwide rallies in solidarity with Palestinians, approximately 100 protesters held a sit-in outside the downtown Beirut office of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia. Similar protests took place in South Africa, Jordan, the UK, Germany, the US, Norway, Brazil, Canada, and Belgium. Oslo's city hall raised the Palestinian flag yesterday on the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People, commemorated in 1978 by the UN General Assembly.
As agreed in the truce extension terms, Hamas released 10 hostages, including two Russian nationals, and Israel released 30 women and children who were detained in its prisons. Read a summary of yesterday’s events from the Hamas-Israel war here.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “In the face of war, how much longer can the Israeli economy hold out?”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz
