Israeli aircraft attacked a town in Lebanon on Sunday and killed at least 23 people, including seven children, reportedly in the village of Kfar Selman, and strikes also claimed at least 34 lives in Gaza. The attacks came amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas in their war against Hezbollah, amid ongoing riveting anticipation by international observers, who have been watching to see whether the U.S. elections change the scene of battle.
Airstrikes in Lebanon: At Least 23 Dead
Israel’s airstrikes on the village of Aalmat, 40 kilometers north of Beirut, were carried out without a prior evacuation warning, according to a press release. They had indicated that a Hezbollah weapons storage site was their goal, but attacks that have caused this level of civilian casualties have been criticized by local officials.
A Lebanese legislator, Raed Berro, called the victims innocent civilians. “Everyone can see, in front of cameras, that what is being pulled from under the rubble are women, children, elderly people with nothing to do with weapons or rocket warehouses, ” Berro said.
Hezbollah’s Retaliation and Israel’s Response
The war between Israel and Hezbollah has reached an all-time high since the eruption of the Gaza war. In support of Hamas, Hezbollah has made numerous rocket and missile attacks against Israel. Israel has retaliated by conducting a series of escalatory airstrikes on the Lebanese territory, including the deadly strike in Aalmat.
Israeli Strikes in Northern Gaza
Israeli strike kills at least 17 in northern Gaza; Jabaliya refugee camp is bombed, with bodies ‘torn to pieces’. – At least 17 people were reported killed when Israeli forces bombed the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, among them nine women. The target of the strike was a militant site, according to the Israeli military, but no further evidence was given. Deaths were confirmed by Dr Fadel Naim, director of Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City, who described the camp as sheltering displaced civilians.
Gaza Civil Defense authorities said Wael al-Khour, a Hamas official, along with his wife and three children, were killed in another Israeli raid.
Israeli Military Operations: Lebanon and Syria Attacks
Israel’s military operations spilled over into Lebanon since September, bombing areas deeper in the country than before. Further airstrikes that came after a succession of earlier strikes, including the killing of Hezbollah’s leadership, have drawn into an even larger conflict that has already killed more than 3,100 people in Lebanon.
Israeli Strike Kills 7 in Damascus Suburb
The Israeli air force has struck a residential building in the Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab, killing seven civilians, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA. News agency reports on the strike have not been confirmed by the Israeli military but already indicate that Hezbollah is targeted.
Rising Death Toll and Humanitarian Concerns
The war has dramatically torn through civilians, more so in Gaza, with over 43,000 Palestinians having died since it began. According to local health authorities, nearly all those killed are women and children. The Israeli army says it is targeting militants and militant infrastructure, often accusing Hamas of hiding among civilians.
Reports are already coming from Gaza of rampant famine and a general lack of humanitarian attention. The northern strip of Gaza, which includes Gaza City, is completely devastated. Experts say that famine is at the door because its food supplies are running out.
International Pressure on Israel
The United States has been very vocal against the steps taken by Israel in Gaza, and the deadline for allowing more humanitarian aid into that region is near. In this regard, the Biden administration warned that failing to allow the aid could possibly result in sanctions on funding U.S. military aid for Israel.
In the international community at large, Qatar has pulled out its mediation efforts and vowed to go back on peace talks only if all parties intend genuinely to end the violence. This is after several failures of U.S.-brokered, Qatar-brokered, and Egypt-brokered cease-fire talks.
Civilian Toll of Israeli Strikes
Nothing but destruction has materialized, with over 90% of the people displaced in Gaza and so many left to shiver under some of the worst conditions imaginable in these refugee camps. Whole swathes of the area have been destroyed by Israel’s ground and aerial bombardment, and civilian casualties mount.
Toll of the Conflict on Both Sides
The death toll on both sides keeps mounting with the rising violence. Above 70 have been killed in Israel, as well as Hezbollah has spread rocket fire throughout central to northern Israel, cutting down civilians in the crosshairs. Israeli officials have threatened further military operations if Hezbollah continues its assault.
International Plea for Ceasefire
As more lives have been lost and humanitarian conditions worsening, calls for a ceasefire had grown. Still, however with the various efforts into peace and even latest pressure to stop the bloodshed, efforts to negotiate a peace agreement seem to have plateaued again as each party digs deeper into their heels. Frustration among Palestinians against the silence made by Arab governments has also worsened, with some laying the blame on the influence of the West, accused of not making effective intervention.
(Includes inputs from online sources)
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