A man looks at the still-smoking damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a neighborhood in Baalbeck in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa valley on November 10, 2024. | Photo credit: AFP
An Israeli attack killed dozens of people on Sunday (Nov 10, 2024) in Lebanon and the northern Gaza Strip, where the military has been waging a major offensive for more than a month that aid groups say has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave. .
An Israeli airstrike killed at least 20 people in the village of Aalmat, north of Beirut and far from areas in southern and eastern Lebanon where the Hezbollah militant group has a major presence. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said six people were injured. There was no immediate Israeli comment.
In northern Gaza, an Israeli attack on a house sheltering displaced people in the refugee camp of the city of Jabaliya killed at least 17 people, according to the director of a nearby hospital that received the bodies.
Dr. Fadel Naim, director of Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City, said the dead included nine women, and that the death toll would rise as rescue efforts continued.
The Israeli military said it targeted sites operated by militants in Jabaliya, without providing evidence. He said details of the attack were under review.
A separate attack on Sunday (November 10, 2024) hit a house in Gaza City, killing Wael al-Khour, a Minister in the Hamas government, as well as his wife and three children, according to the Civil Defense, the first responders organization working in the government.
Israeli forces have surrounded and largely isolated Jabaliya and the nearby towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun for the past month, allowing only humanitarian aid. Hundreds of people have been killed since the offensive began on October 6, and tens of thousands have fled to nearby Gaza City.
On Friday (November 8, 2024), experts from a panel that monitors food security said that famine is imminent in the north or may have already occurred. The growing desperation comes as the deadline approaches for an ultimatum given by the Biden administration to Israel to raise the level of humanitarian aid allowed to Gaza or face possible restrictions on US military funding.
The northern third of Gaza, including Gaza City, was the first target of Israel’s ground invasion and suffered the heaviest damage of the 13-month war, which was triggered by Hamas attacks into southern Israel. As in other areas of Gaza, Israel has sent troops back after repeated operations, saying Hamas has regrouped.
The military said it was only targeting militants, who are accused of hiding among civilians in homes and shelters. Israeli attacks often kill women and children.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles into Israel after fighting broke out in Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinians and the Iran-backed militant group Hamas.
Israel retaliated, and several escalations over several months led to an all-out war in September, when Israel carried out a wave of heavy attacks and killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as well as most of the top commanders.
Since then, Israel has been striking deeper and deeper into Lebanon, while Hezbollah has expanded its rocket range from northern to central Israel. The fighting has killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry, and more than 70 people in Israel.
In a video showing the aftermath of Sunday’s attack in Aalmat, about 40km north of Beirut, people are seen pulling the body of a little girl out of the rubble. The house was flattened, and several cars nearby were also damaged.
The war in Gaza began when militants led by Hamas broke through the border fence and stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023. They killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, it is estimated – about. a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities who did not distinguish between civilians and militants in the count, but said more than half of those killed were women and children.
Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion have reduced the vast Gaza Strip to rubble and displaced around 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands of people live in overcrowded camps with few public services and do not know when they will be able to return to their homes or rebuild.
Ceasefire talks brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled since the start of the year, as have parallel efforts by the US and others to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Qatar, which has been the main mediator with Hamas, said this weekend it had suspended efforts and would only resume when “the parties show their will and seriousness to end the brutal war and the continued suffering of civilians.”
Published – November 10, 2024 17:36 IST
