NPR News: 04-17-2026 6AM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. This is the beginning of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon. President Trump announced the truce yesterday on social media. Backed by Iran in southern Lebanon. MPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more from Beirut. barrage of attacks from both sides. Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes in Lebanon south. Hezbolla fired several rockets into northern Israel. But since then things have been relatively quiet. In terms of how people are feeling there is a little hope. You know, a ceasefire is always welcome in war. But people also realize this is temporary, so it's a cautious optimism. Former European officials, including ministers, ambassadors, and senior EU figures, have called for the suspension of the EU's agreement with Israel. And because Eleanor Beardsley reports, the former officials describe serious human rights violations. The signatories point to ongoing settlement activity and violence in the West Bank and worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. Six months after the Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction has yet to begin, and Gazans still live in tents amidst the rubble. In the West Bank, the approval of illegal settlements has accelerated. Israeli government is violating the core principles on which the European Union is founded and is ignoring its moral responsibilities as an occupying power. with Israel compared with other cou