President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday that the time has come for all Lebanese to realize that “our homeland cannot be built by a single group, sect, or party.”

“It is our destiny to live together; hatred does not build a nation, and division serves only those who wish for Lebanon to remain weak. Dialogue, on the other hand, is what builds trust among the people of the same nation,” Aoun added.

Hundreds of inmates at Lebanon's central Roumieh Prison have been on hunger strike for 10 days over the stalled implementation of an amnesty law supposed to benefit them, a judicial official told AFP on Tuesday.

Lebanon's parliament last month passed the sweeping amnesty law, the first since 1991 after the country's civil war. The legislation is meant to help thousands of prisoners and wanted people, many of them Islamists.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York with U.N. chief António Guterres, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Iraqi PM Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

Salam’s meeting with Erdogan addressed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as efforts to de-escalate tensions and enhance regional security and stability.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said that displacement of the population, destruction of infrastructure and occupation of territory are the “language” that Hamas and Hezbollah understand, defending Israel’s actions in this regard.

The destruction of infrastructure and the forced displacement of civilians constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.

As the world marked the International Day of Peace and communities in south Lebanon continue to grapple with the consequences of conflict, peacekeepers marked the day with a small ceremony at UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura on Monday evening.

“Peace is not something we address once a year; it is an enduring responsibility,” said UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara in a short speech for the occasion. “We patrol, we keep channels of communication open with the parties to reduce the risk of misunderstanding and escalation. We work with the Lebanese Armed Forces as they assume greater responsibilities in the south.”

The Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon and the Samir Kassir Foundation have announced the results of the 21st edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press, at a ceremony held at the Sursock Palace Gardens in Beirut.

Established with funding from the European Union, the Award is internationally recognized as a flagship prize for press freedom and the most prestigious journalism award in the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf region. Since 2006, the ceremony has been held annually to commemorate the assassination of Lebanese journalist Samir Kassir on 2 June 2005 in Beirut, and to celebrate his life, values, and intellectual and professional struggle.

An Argentine judge on Monday formally charged seven Iranians and a Lebanese citizen for their alleged involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.

The decision marks another step toward a possible trial in absentia over the attack on July 18 that year, which killed 85 people and injured 300 more.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Monday that Lebanon needed a U.N.-sponsored international force to stay in the country's south after the current U.N. peacekeeping mandate expires.

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which currently counts around 7,500 peacekeepers from 46 countries, has acted as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978.

Qatar and Turkey are spearheading secret contacts and efforts to resolve the situation in south Lebanon and subsequently address Hezbollah’s status, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Monday.

“Indications suggest that each side is acting independently, with no unified initiative in place. The initial phase of these contacts focuses on de-escalating tensions in the south, with the aim -- should these efforts succeed -- of moving on to discuss the future of Hezbollah’s arsenal,” the daily said.

There is no intention to “make changes within the government,” though both the Presidency and the Premiership have “reservations regarding the performance of certain ministers,” sources told MTV on Monday.