Israeli attacks on northern Lebanon and Gaza killed dozens of people, officials said

Israeli attacks on northern Lebanon and Gaza have killed dozens of people, rescuers and officials said, including several children.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least 23 people, including seven children, were killed in Almat near Byblos, north of the capital Beirut.

In northern Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa and Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said at least 30 people were killed in an Israeli attack on a house in Jabalia. The civil defense agency said 13 children were among the dead.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not commented on the attack in Lebanon. They said they had attacked a location in Jabalia where “terrorists were active”, steps had been taken to minimize damage to civilians and details were being reviewed.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said rescue workers were still searching through the rubble after the attack in Almat.

Israel has escalated its campaign against the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Its main focus is southern Lebanon, aiming to weaken the group’s ability to launch missiles across the border. But in recent weeks, operations have targeted cities and towns across Lebanon.

In another incident in the south, three medical staff were killed when an Israeli attack targeted the Islamic Health Authority building in Adloun, the Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military said it intercepted a Hezbollah rocket on Saturday after the militant group launched 70 projectiles.

According to Lebanese authorities, since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated seven weeks ago, at least 3,002 people have been killed and more than 1.2 million displaced across Lebanon.

In Gaza, aid groups say Jabalia and other areas in northern Gaza have been under siege since early October when Israel launched a new ground offensive against the Palestinian armed group Hamas.

Dr. Fadel Naim, director of Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City, told the Associated Press that his facility has so far received 17 bodies from Jabalia, including nine women, and the death toll will likely increase.

Witnesses described the Israeli attack as an “earthquake”.

“We just sat peacefully. These were innocent citizens who did not belong to any military organization or faction,” witness and relative of the victims, Hamza Alloush told Reuters.

The house “was bombed on people’s heads without warning, resulting in the death of all those inside. Those who were lucky enough to survive were thrown up into trees and onto neighbors, their remains still scattered below.” rubble,” he said.

Video and photos showed many bodies wrapped in blankets in the back of cars and placed on the ground at the hospital.

Another attack in Gaza City killed a welfare ministry official and seven members of his family, including his wife and children, doctors and relatives said.

Israel is facing a US deadline set to expire in the next few days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on military cooperation.

the The UN previously said The “darkest moment” of the war in Gaza is taking place in the north of the territory.

On Saturday, Israel dismissed warnings of famine in northern Gaza from global food security experts, saying the group relied on “biased, partial data and superficial sources with vested interests.” ensure”.

The Independent Famine Assessment Commission (FRC) said an imminent famine was highly likely and immediate action was needed to alleviate the dire situation.

Israel said it had stepped up aid efforts, including opening an additional border crossing on Friday to admit more aid into southern Gaza.

The IDF later said it moved 11 trucks carrying food, water and medical aid to Jabalia and Beit Hanoun on Thursday.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach a ceasefire have stalled. Qatar suspends its role as mediator until Hamas and Israel “showed willingness” to negotiate.

Israel launched the current military offensive in Gaza following a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages back to Gaza.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has figures The UN considers it trustworthyhas reported a death toll of more than 43,600 since the start of the war. Many more bodies are believed to remain under the rubble of bombed buildings.

In Lebanon, Israel continues to attack Hezbollah after nearly a year of cross-border fighting caused by the war in Gaza.

Israeli airstrikes destroyed most of the group’s leadership and caused widespread destruction in parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut – areas where Hezbollah has a presence. strong presence.

Israeli authorities say more than 70 people have been killed in attacks by Hezbollah in Israel and the occupied Golan Heights over the past year.