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Italian peacekeepers have replaced a statue of Jesus Christ in the southern Lebanese village of Debel after an Israeli soldier was filmed damaging the original figure with a tool.
The incident, which drew international condemnation, prompted a formal apology from Israel and led to the detention of two soldiers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the act as “wholly inconsistent with the values expected” of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The restoration took place on Wednesday as Italian peacekeepers escorted Archbishop Paolo Borgia, the Vatican’s ambassador to Lebanon, into the village. They were welcomed by residents with ringing church bells and applause.
Debel, a predominantly Christian community, has been largely isolated amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Residents say Israeli troops currently present in the town and surrounding areas have imposed strict movement restrictions, leaving the remaining population of about 1,600 people facing shortages of food, medicine, and reliable internet access.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the peacekeeping contingent, saying images of the restored statue being placed back in its original garden were “heart-warming and send a powerful message of hope, dialogue and peace.”
Israel also provided a replacement crucifix, which has been donated to the local parish. However, the village priest, Father Fadi Felefli, stressed that the gesture by the Italian forces held particular significance in helping to comfort a traumatized community.
Speaking about the soldiers involved in the vandalism, Father Felefli adopted a message of reconciliation rooted in his faith. He told CNN that the community had accepted the apology in the hope of easing what he described as the “suffocated” conditions in the village, adding: “We are the sons of peace and sons of forgiveness; like Jesus said when he was being crucified, ‘God forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.’”
