This post was updated Oct. 13 at 11:12 p.m.

Around 50 people gathered in Bruin Plaza on Thursday night to commemorate lives lost in Lebanon.

The vigil, hosted by the Lebanese Student Association, comes after Israel invaded southern Lebanon to target Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and militant group that is firing rockets into northern Israel, according to the Associated Press. The fighting has displaced at least 200,000 Lebanese people as of Sept. 28, according to the United Nations, following a string of pager attacks and aerial assaults led by Israel.

The vigil represented the resilience of the Lebanese community, said Tracy Tawil, a fourth-year economics and international development studies student. Tawil, a board member of LSA, added she hopes the organization provides a safe space for its students.

During the vigil, LSA members invited attendees to share stories, gave speeches and recited prayers to honor those whose lives were lost. USAC President Adam Tfayli, who grew up in Lebanon, attended the event and recited verses from the Quran in Arabic.

Sarah Akiel, a second-year bioengineering student who attended the vigil, said it was encouraging to see a community of people both in and outside of her culture come together to show support.

“It warms my heart a little just to know that – it’s a reminder that you’re not the only person going through it,” she said.

Janine Abu Baker, a second-year political science student, added that she has family in Lebanon who go to bed every night scared they might not wake up the next day.

“Our bodies, we are in LA – our hearts and our minds are in Beirut,” she said. “It’s been difficult for me to even do work, go to classes. All I keep thinking about is my family overseas.”

Baker also said that events like the vigil help educate students on campus about what is going on in Lebanon, adding that students told her they were not aware of the conflict while she raised funds for the Lebanese Red Cross on Bruin Walk.

One speaker at the vigil, who did not give their name, said the conflict made them realize the safety of their homeland was not guaranteed. They added that seeing the village where they grew up be destroyed gave them gratitude for Lebanon.

Another speaker at the vigil, who also did not share their name, said they wished they could be with their friends and relatives back home – some of whom resided a few minutes away from the bombings.

“I feel so guilty, and I regret every time I’ve complained about the stupid things,” they said. “I love this country (Lebanon) so much, and it sucks that it took a war for me to realize how much I love it and how much I long to go back.”

Students who do not have a direct relation to Lebanon also came to support Lebanese students and victims of the conflict.

Jerry Hernandez, a second-year sociology student, added that although he is not Lebanese, listening to the speakers demonstrated the importance of standing in solidarity with the Lebanese people. Alex, a student who did not give her last name, added that she wanted to show support for people who still have family in Lebanon.

“I don’t know what it’s like to lose my home quite like that. I don’t know what it’s like to still have friends there and to live in the uncertainty you’re living in,” Alex said. “For that, I’m sorry. But I can say that I am here with you, that we are here with you.”

Akiel said she will continue supporting her family from afar.

“(I) just have to keep hoping my family is safe and my friends’ families are safe,” she said. “That’s the best I can do, I guess. And keep coming together and supporting one another and just uplifting each other. And we’re all struggling, but we’re struggling together.”