Source: Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand
The fragile, temporary ceasefires, between the United States and Iran, and between Israel and Lebanon, must be replaced by an enduring, sustained, and comprehensive regional ceasefire that covers all countries affected by this conflict, to avoid further catastrophic civilian suffering and pave the way for justice, respect for international law and long-term human rights protection for all, Amnesty International said today.
Despite a reduction in armed hostilities this remains a critical and deeply precarious moment for civilians across the Middle East. Both current ceasefire agreements are fragile, temporary and in danger of collapse at any moment, endangering the lives of millions of civilians once more. The USA and Iran are continuing to trade threats and carry out attacks and ship seizures in the Strait of Hormuz.
In Lebanon, as has been the case since 2024, the latest ceasefire has led to a reduction but not an end in hostilities and the Israeli military has remained on Lebanese territory, ordering residents in dozens of villages in border areas not to return. Meanwhile, civilians in Iran face dual risks of atrocity crimes linked to a resumption in unlawful US/Israeli attacks as well as further deadly repression by the Iranian authorities.
“The 28 February US-Israeli attacks on Iran were unlawful, violating the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force and they triggered unlawful acts by Iranian authorities in retaliation. Since then, more than 5,000 people have been killed and millions of civilians across the Middle East have had their lives upended as interrelated conflicts have escalated across the region and civilians and civilian infrastructure have come under attack. All parties including the USA, Israel, Iran and Hezbollah have launched unlawful attacks displaying a chilling disregard for human life, while the US President has issued brazen threats to commit war crimes and even genocide, threatening to wipe out ‘a whole civilization’ in Iran.
“The international community must now draw a red line: there must be a durable and genuine ceasefire; this requires a full halt in armed hostilities by all parties, across all affected countries,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“The so-called ceasefire agreements reached in Gaza in 2025 and Lebanon in 2024
demonstrably failed to stop Israeli attacks on civilians, with as many as 765 Palestinians killed since then, and near daily air strikes and extensive destruction of civilian property in southern Lebanon.
demonstrably failed to stop Israeli attacks on civilians, with as many as 765 Palestinians killed since then, and near daily air strikes and extensive destruction of civilian property in southern Lebanon.
“In a region long scarred by conflict, amidst long-standing impunity for crimes under international law, and the constant threat of renewed violence, civilians cannot afford another partial, selective or short-lived pause that leaves them living in fear and bracing for a repetition of the atrocities they have suffered.”
The armed conflicts quickly spread to 12 countries, endangering the lives and health of millions of civilians with attacks devastating civilian homes and critical infrastructure, harming the environment, and triggering economic shockwaves felt across the region and the globe.
A sustainable, enduring ceasefire is the only credible path to protecting civilians and paving the way for longer-term security, human rights protection and justice for all in the region – including those in Iran, Lebanon, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and in Gulf states.
In Iran, by 7 April, US and Israeli attacks had resulted in at least 3,375 people killed and 25,000 injured, including hundreds of children, according to official figures. The US-Israeli attacks in Iran took place as the population was still reeling from unprecedented massacres of thousands of protesters and bystanders by Iranian authorities during the crackdown on January 2026 protests.
In Lebanon, by the time the ceasefire was announced, 2,294 people had been killed, including 177 children, more than 7,500 wounded. Since the ceasefire, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade attacks, with continued reports of civilian casualties.
At least 21 civilians have been killed in Israel where the population has endured attacks from both Iran and Hezbollah. Four people have been killed in the occupied West Bank. Between 28 February and 15 April 2026, at least 29 people have been killed in the Gulf including 13 in the United Arab Emirates, seven in Kuwait, three in Bahrain, three in Oman and three in Saudi Arabia. The figures exclude US military casualties.
At least 21 civilians have been killed in Israel where the population has endured attacks from both Iran and Hezbollah. Four people have been killed in the occupied West Bank. Between 28 February and 15 April 2026, at least 29 people have been killed in the Gulf including 13 in the United Arab Emirates, seven in Kuwait, three in Bahrain, three in Oman and three in Saudi Arabia. The figures exclude US military casualties.
In a briefing published today, Amnesty International details the ongoing dual risks faced by the people of Iran, who are trapped between armed conflict and deadly repression.
The organization is highlighting the need for a dual, people-centred diplomatic approach that combines efforts to establish an enduring ceasefire with concrete steps to prevent atrocity crimes by the Iranian authorities.
“A ceasefire that is not accompanied by long-term solutions that safeguard human rights and address root causes is little more than a temporary patch over a deep wound. This is particularly true in Iran, where the population remains at risk of further atrocities at the hands of the Islamic Republic authorities, and in Lebanon, where civilians face the prospect of renewed conflict, indefinite displacement of civilians and destruction of their homes,” said Agnès Callamard.
“We are witnessing a continued dangerous erosion of the global international legal order and of respect for international humanitarian law. The international community must fully investigate the US and Israeli unlawful attacks on Iran in violation of the UN Charter and all crimes under international law, and ensure that states and individuals are held accountable.
Civilian harm in Lebanon
In Lebanon, where attacks by Israel have had a devastating impact on civilians and have continued in recent days, there is an urgent need for a durable ceasefire that applies to both Israel and Hezbollah – and ensures all civilians are protected in the longer term on both sides of the border.
The Israeli military must immediately cease attacks stop razing civilian structures, withdraw from Lebanon. All those displaced from their homes must be allowed to return. Hezbollah must stop launching attacks into Israel.
Israel had said it would refrain from offensive attacks during the ceasefire, but that it retained the right to take “all necessary measures for self-defence at any time against planned, imminent or ongoing attacks,” and that it would not withdraw from Lebanese territory. During both the current and previous ceasefire agreed in November 2024, Israel has continued to carry out near daily attacks and to destroy Lebanese civilian property along the border. For civilians, this led to prolonged displacement, devastated livelihoods, and the anguish of living in limbo, while accountability and reparations remained nowhere in sight.
Hezbollah has also launched attacks, including into northern Israel, since the current 2026 ceasefire agreement.
From 2 March 2026 onwards, the Israeli military carried out relentless air strikes across the country, killing and wounding civilians, healthcare workers and journalists. The Israeli military’s overly broad mass ‘evacuation’ orders covering huge swathes of southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut displaced over a million people. Israeli forces have also carried out extensive destruction of residential areas and other civilian infrastructure across southern Lebanon and are continuing to demolish homes in border villages.
On one of the worst days, on 8 April, the Israeli military boasted it had carried out 100 strikes within just 10 minutes in Lebanon – killing more than 350 people -including simultaneous attacks in crowded civilian areas of central Beirut without warning. The absolute impunity that Israel has enjoyed for its 2024 unlawful attacks in Lebanon has fuelled further violations in 2026.
After repeated rounds of devastating conflict, which have been marked by international crimes, absolute impunity, and civilian lives upended again and again, plans for
accountability must be drawn up and implemented. International crimes must be credibly investigated and alleged perpetrators prosecuted before national or international courts.
accountability must be drawn up and implemented. International crimes must be credibly investigated and alleged perpetrators prosecuted before national or international courts.
The Lebanese government should facilitate accountability efforts, including by accepting the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction. Civilians harmed by international humanitarian law violations should be provided prompt, adequate and effective reparations that recognizes the extent of the harm suffered.
Iranians face dual atrocity risks In Iran, tens of thousands of air strikes by the USA and Israel between 28 February and 7 April have caused grave civilian harm. In one egregious incident, an unlawful US strike on a school in Minab killed 156 people, including 120 children. US and Israeli attacks also caused extensive destruction and damage to civilian infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, universities, schools, residential buildings, medical centres, steel factories and petrochemical facilities endangering the lives and livelihoods of millions and harming the environment.
However, even a durable ceasefire alone cannot guarantee the protection of civilians or
safeguard the human rights of people in Iran. Protesters, dissidents, and others advocating for fundamental political change remain at grave risk of further atrocities by Iranian authorities. Since the US-Israeli attacks, Iranian authorities have ramped up their crackdown on any actual or perceived opposition amid the longest state-imposed internet shutdown on record in Iran.
safeguard the human rights of people in Iran. Protesters, dissidents, and others advocating for fundamental political change remain at grave risk of further atrocities by Iranian authorities. Since the US-Israeli attacks, Iranian authorities have ramped up their crackdown on any actual or perceived opposition amid the longest state-imposed internet shutdown on record in Iran.
Senior officials have made menacing statements in recent weeks equating any form of dissent with siding with the “enemy” and have openly threatened further mass killings of anyone expressing dissent or peacefully advocating for the downfall of the Islamic Republic system, publicly boasting about carrying out thousands of unlawful killings of protesters in January 2026.
The authorities have also arbitrarily executed at least 19 people:
eight protesters nine dissidents and two individuals accused of espionage for the USA and/or Israel. The authorities are also persisting with mass arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and torture to wipe out dissent.
eight protesters nine dissidents and two individuals accused of espionage for the USA and/or Israel. The authorities are also persisting with mass arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and torture to wipe out dissent.
The recurrence of atrocities in Iran is rooted in a constitutional structure that entrenches impunity and systemic discrimination and deprives people of access to justice and effective remedies.
To ensure that people in Iran do not face risks of further massacres, a ceasefire must be accompanied by urgent diplomatic action from the international community to prevent atrocity crimes by the Iranian authorities, to support Iranian civil society-led calls for fundamental changes, including to the constitution to ensure equality and respect for human rights, including the right to life.
“In a country reeling from the combined impact of devastating US and Israeli bombings and state-orchestrated massacres, the risks of atrocity crimes by the Iranian authorities against the people in Iran remain significant. They face the threat of renewed air strikes and mass killings if the truce collapses and the prospect of a deadly repression and another severe wave of killings by ‘trigger-ready’ security forces targeting protesters and dissidents they label as ‘enemies’,” said Agnès Callamard.
“The international community must recognize that Iran’s human rights and impunity crisis, now compounded by the US/Israel unlawful attacks and vast suffering of civilians, requires a dual, people-centred diplomatic response. This means combining efforts to investigate the UN Charter violations, protect civilians and uphold international humanitarian law with action to prevent atrocity crimes by the Iranian authorities, and support Iranian civil society’s calls for a rights-respecting constitution. It also means establishing pathways for international justice, including the UN Security Council’s referral of Iran’s situation to the International Criminal Court.”
Civilian harm across the region A sustainable enduring ceasefire is also the only means of ensuring the protection of civilians and a secure, just and sustainable future for people across the region.
Civilians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory have come under fire from both Iranian missiles and Hezbollah rocket fire. In Israel, at least 34 people were killed – 21 civilians in Israel and 13 soldiers in combat operations in southern Lebanon in 2026. In one unlawful attack, Amnesty International found that a wildly inaccurate Iranian ballistic missile was used to carry out an attack that struck a synagogue in Beit Shemesh killing nine Israeli civilians.
The Huthi armed group in Yemen has also repeatedly fired missiles at Israel, including in March 2026. Four Palestinian women were also killed in the occupied West Bank due to Iranian missile attacks. During the 2024 escalation, Amnesty International documented Hezbollah’s use of inherently inaccurate weapons to launch unlawful rocket attacks that killed and injured civilians in Israel in violation of international humanitarian law.
Israeli authorities must refrain from carrying out unlawful attacks and commit publicly to full respect for international humanitarian law, particularly the prohibition of directing attacks at civilians and civilian objects. Without taking real and concrete steps to end violations of international law and tackle long-standing impunity the risk of repeating rounds of armed conflict is war crimes and other serious violations remains constant.
Iranian strikes on the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman have escalated risks to civilians, with attacks extending beyond US military bases and damaging energy infrastructure, airports, desalination plants and residential neighbourhoods. Iranian officials openly declared their intention to cause economic harm and attack US economic interests.
“The latest regional escalation follows more than two and a half years of relentless conflict across the Middle East, from the Hamas-led attacks on civilians in southern Israel on 7 October 2023 to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, and Israel’s 2024 attacks in Lebanon,” said Agnès Callamard.
“As the threat of renewed atrocity crimes looms, global inaction undermines the mechanisms the international community relies on to prevent and respond to mass atrocities. World leaders must urgently come together to ensure a lasting, comprehensive ceasefire comes into effect immediately -to stop the normalization of mass civilian suffering, defend our shared humanity and help create conditions across the region for a future grounded in human rights, justice and lasting stability.”
