The idea of "burial in trust" is not new to Lebanese people. It has recurred during successive wars waged by Israel against Lebanon over the decades. Its psychological impact is severe for the families of those killed, who are unable to hold funerals for loved ones amid the harsh realities of displacement, major economic hardship and a lack of resources and assistance. Israel's latest war has imposed harsh conditions on Lebanese families that extend beyond displacement and death, reaching the point of creating a new reality in which the dead are buried far from their hometowns.
It is no exaggeration to say that neither the living nor the dead have escaped the consequences of the war.
Israeli attacks on Lebanese areas have left thousands dead. Yet the striking reality is that most were not buried in their hometowns, as is customary.
Instead, the majority were placed in temporary " burial in trust " graves in areas far from their birthplace because reaching towns under bombardment, or under occupation within what is referred to as the " Yellow Line " areas, was impossible.
It is a journey of death twice, burial twice, and unending mourning.
These are stories rarely heard anywhere but Lebanon, particularly in the south and Beirut's southern suburbs.
Even the principle of "burial in trust" applied to former Hezbollah secretaries-general Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Hashem Safieddine after their assassinations on 27 September and 1 October 2024, before they were laid to rest in their final resting places on 23 February 2025.
Nasrallah was transferred from his temporary grave at Rawdat al-Shahidayn cemetery in Beirut's southern suburbs to Airport Road, while Safieddine was reburied in his hometown of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon .
No family finds it easy to bury one of its members in a temporary location during wartime, only to return later in peacetime to transfer the body to its hometown.
The emotional pain is repeated at the moment of death and burial, while grief resurfaces and is renewed when the grave is reopened and the body is moved to its final resting place.
Mahmoud Zbib told The New Arab about the burial in trust of one of his relatives from the southern town of Tafahata in the Choueifat area.
"Israel killed my cousin Haroun after targeting the civilian vehicle he was travelling in inside the town. When Civil Defence paramedics rushed to help him, Israel targeted them as well, leaving six people from the town dead in a single day. On that day, Israeli warplanes never left the skies above the town, and numerous drones hovered overhead," he described.
"Although the town had not been completely evacuated, the situation suddenly deteriorated, and no one could move freely. The town had to be evacuated quickly before Israel carried out further massacres against residents. We were unable to bury the young men and transferred them to temporary burials in trust to the land in the Choueifat area. It was not easy for their families, who wanted to hold funeral ceremonies worthy of them," he added.
"During the 10-day ceasefire, families prepared to bury their dead, transfer those buried in trust back to their hometowns, and hold mourning ceremonies," he continued, "But this was far from easy because most residents had not returned permanently to their towns. They travelled only to collect essential belongings before returning to the places where they had sought refuge and to the homes they had rented after Israel's war on Lebanon began on 2 March."
"As soon as the ceasefire came into effect, people in southern Lebanon focused first on what they needed to transfer the temporary burials to cemeteries in the south. However, they encountered major difficulties because border towns and villages had been destroyed. Israel had even bulldozed and destroyed cemeteries in several southern towns ," Zbib said.
Zbib further said his family is still waiting for the situation to become clearer, as residents have not yet fully returned to the town.
"Since the war began, young men told their families that they wanted to be buried only in their hometown and nowhere else," he said "They even specified the exact locations if they were killed during the war. Haroun told his family that he wanted a burial worthy of him. He insisted on remaining in his town until the final moments of his life, as he was trying to meet the needs of residents who had stayed behind and was calling the adhan at the town mosque.
"He was determined to be buried there, and his family also insisted on delaying the funeral for several more days so that his friends could attend," Zbib remarked.
Since the war began, just as happened in 2024, sections of several cemeteries have been designated for temporary burials in trust, including in Choueifat and Sidon.
One of those responsible for the cemetery in Choueifat told The New Arab , "This cemetery is called Al-Sadiq and has been divided into two sections, one for residents and the other for temporary burials in trust.
"It is owned by Hezbollah, which oversees these burials free of charge . The main aim is to accommodate those killed so their families can later transfer them to their hometowns for burial," said the cemetery employee.
"Since the war began, dozens of people from various towns have been buried here. They will gradually be transferred to their hometowns, except for those whose towns remain occupied or those from villages south of the Litani River, where Israel is preventing residents from returning ," he added.
Mohammad Tarhini, brother of Hussein Tarhini, 49, one of three members of Lebanon's State Security agency killed when Israel bombed their headquarters near the Nabatieh Serail, told The New Arab , "Our family could not bury Hussein in his hometown of Nabatieh because it had been under continuous Israeli bombardment for weeks.
"It was impossible for the family to travel there, so his body was placed in trust at a cemetery designated for temporary burials in Haret Saida. Burying him away from his hometown was extremely difficult because my mother needed to visit him every day. Yet, she could not travel to Nabatieh because of the war," Tarhini described.
"Burial in trust has a severe psychological impact on families. We feel our martyr is not at peace where he is buried or that the grave is too narrow for him," he added. "We also feel he is unhappy and dissatisfied with what we had to do because of these exceptional circumstances. We cannot receive condolences properly either," he noted.
"It is customary in southern Lebanon to keep our homes open for several days to receive mourners, serve food to those attending, and observe rituals lasting several days, while the town's sheikh leads funeral prayers," Tarhini said.
"All of this was almost impossible during Israel's war. Israeli drones remained overhead throughout the day, creating further risks if we had tried to bury him in the town. Israel had previously targeted crowds at a cemetery in the town of Sahmar in the eastern Bekaa, so we decided to postpone the main burial until conditions became more suitable," he elaborated.
Sheikh Rabie Qubaisi told The New Arab that "burial in trust was imposed on people. It is not the best solution, but it is the most appropriate under the circumstances."
He continued, "It is extremely difficult for families who experience grief three times.
"The first comes when they learn that a family member has died, especially during wartime," he said. "The second comes when they decide to bury them in trust. The third comes when they hold mourning ceremonies under difficult conditions, with towns destroyed and displacement continuing."
Qubaisi also noted he had often been forced to bury people without any family members present because of the war, as relatives were scattered across northern Lebanon , the Bekaa and Beirut.
Some families even requested to attend the temporary burial ceremony via video link.
The sheikh said, "These families carry immense grief. Many painful scenes remain etched in my memory, including families asking to take final photographs before burial because they could not attend in person."
"During one temporary burial in this war, the family gathered remotely to watch the ceremony, and we used video technology so they could feel they were taking part in the funeral rites," he added. "
Those moments were extremely difficult, especially because the family could not bid farewell to their loved one for the last time because of the war. As happened in 2024, families will begin preparing final burials in their hometowns once the situation calms," the sheikh concluded. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .