A ceasefire brokered by the United States and France in late 2024 brought an end to 14 months of brutal, wide-spread warfare between Israel and Hezbollah and prevented a major Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon. Israel killed nearly 4,000 Lebanese and left close to 18,000 others wounded. 

At the time of the announcement of the ceasefire, Washington hailed the agreement as a "permanent cessation of hostilities" between the two sides. But Israel still continues to strike Lebanon and occupies five key sites in the south along the border.

The deepening crisis and how the ceasefire did not mark any tangible relief for the Lebanese are also illustrated by what's happening with Lebanon's war-wounded and expectant mothers.

While the Lebanese Ministry of Health initially pledged free care for wounded civilians, pregnant women, and displaced persons during Israel's war on the country, that promise has frayed in the aftermath.

Hospitals, both public and private, now demand upfront payments, emergency rooms turn patients away, and surgeries are often denied unless patients can cover steep out-of-pocket costs.