Residents of Aita al-Shaab walk through the rubble of their village, Jan. 26, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
A bumpy road lined with gutted buildings, cars inching forward in a row, Hezbollah flags waving from windows and smartphones capturing every moment: the residents of Aita al-Shaab, a southern Lebanese village in the Bint Jbeil district abandoned since the conflict began on Oct. 8, 2023, are finally back on their land. “A handful of earth from this village is worth more than all the cities I crossed during my exile,” says Najia al-Khalil, her wrinkled face framed by laughing eyes, as she walks through the ruins of a mosque, a school and what were once vibrant homes. On this Sunday, Jan. 26, the final day of the cease-fire that began on Nov. 27 between Hezbollah and Israel, the people of Aita al-Shaab wouldn’t want to be anywhere else."We’ve been preparing for this return all week. This morning, we reached the checkpoint, and the army...
A bumpy road lined with gutted buildings, cars inching forward in a row, Hezbollah flags waving from windows and smartphones capturing every moment: the residents of Aita al-Shaab, a southern Lebanese village in the Bint Jbeil district abandoned since the conflict began on Oct. 8, 2023, are finally back on their land. “A handful of earth from this village is worth more than all the cities I crossed during my exile,” says Najia al-Khalil, her wrinkled face framed by laughing eyes, as she walks through the ruins of a mosque, a school and what were once vibrant homes. On this Sunday, Jan. 26, the final day of the cease-fire that began on Nov. 27 between Hezbollah and Israel, the people of Aita al-Shaab wouldn’t want to be anywhere else."We’ve been preparing for this return all week. This morning, we reached the checkpoint, and...