At least 18 people were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip early Sunday. The strike hit a mosque that was being used as a shelter for displaced people near the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital. The hospital reported that all the dead were men and two others were critically wounded. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strike.
This attack adds to the growing number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza, which is now nearing 42,000 according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, but many of the victims were women and children. The strike came after Israel also targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters in Lebanon on Saturday. As a result, thousands of people, including Palestinian refugees, have been forced to flee the area. Meanwhile, rallies were held around the world to mark the approaching anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza.
The strikes in Lebanon began near midnight on Saturday and continued into Sunday. Israel’s military had warned residents to evacuate areas in Dahiyeh, a predominantly Shiite suburb of Beirut where Hezbollah has a strong presence. The blasts were captured on video and showed the densely populated area being illuminated by the explosions. Israel’s military confirmed that it was targeting areas near Beirut and said that about 30 projectiles had crossed into Israeli territory, some of which were intercepted. The strikes reportedly hit a building near the road leading to Lebanon’s only international airport and a building that was formerly used by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar. There were also reports that an oxygen tank storage facility was hit, but this was later denied by the owner of the company.
Shortly after the strikes, Hezbollah claimed that it had successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Manara settlement in northern Israel with a large rocket salvo. Meanwhile, Israel’s attack on the northern Beddawi camp killed an official with Hamas’ military wing, along with his wife and two young daughters. Hamas also reported that another member of their military wing was killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. The aftermath of the strikes showed destroyed buildings, scattered bricks, and stairways to nowhere.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Israel has killed several Hamas officials in Lebanon, as well as most of the top leadership of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah. The fighting has sharply escalated, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics, and Hezbollah fighters.
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