Over 150 Reported Dead in Israeli Strikes on Northern Gaza and Lebanon

Intensified Israeli strikes have allegedly led to over 150 fatalities in northern Gaza and Lebanon, raising international alarm over civilian casualties and regional stability.

Over 150 people have reportedly been killed in Israel’s recent attacks on northern Gaza and Lebanon.

According to the head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, a devastating Israeli attack on Tuesday resulted in at least 93 Palestinian fatalities when it demolished a five-storey residential building sheltering displaced individuals in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza. Additionally, overnight violence claimed the lives of at least 60 people in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley.

Israel conducted the attacks amid a worsening humanitarian situation in both Gaza and Lebanon. Conditions are especially severe in northern Gaza, which has been under an Israeli siege since early October.

Despite the increasing death toll and deteriorating conditions for those remaining in northern Gaza, recent ceasefire discussions resumed in Qatar are not anticipated to yield a significant breakthrough. Meanwhile, Israel has decided to suspend the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which serves as a critical lifeline for most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

Hani Mahmoud from Al Jazeera, reporting in Deir el-Balah, Gaza, recounted distressing scenes following the strike in Beit Lahiya.

“The images we are viewing reveal that more bodies, including those of women and children, are being pulled from beneath the rubble,” he stated.

Reports indicated that those rescued from the rubble were bleeding severely, with many having been crushed by the heavy weight of large pieces of concrete that collapsed on their heads as they slept.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the primary medical center in northern Gaza, reported that over 150 dead and wounded individuals had arrived following the attack. He cautioned that numerous injured patients might not survive due to insufficient resources.

Israeli forces detained numerous medical personnel at the hospital last week, leaving just three doctors remaining.

“We are urging the international community to dispatch specialized medical teams,” the doctor conveyed to Al Jazeera.

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In eastern Lebanon, nighttime assaults in the Bekaa Valley resulted in at least 60 fatalities and left 58 others injured, according to a report from the Ministry of Public Health.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), the town of Sahl Allak in Baalbek province experienced the most fatalities, with 16 people losing their lives.

According to the state news agency, an Israeli air strike in Ramm and Baalbek resulted in nine casualties, including a mother and her four children.

Baalbek Mayor Bachir Khodr characterized the strikes as “the most violent day in Baalbek since the onset of the aggression.” In a post on X, he mentioned that individuals were still trapped beneath the rubble.

The Israeli bombardment of the region, including southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, has escalated in recent weeks. This is part of an offensive against Hezbollah that has also resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

In Gaza, Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, have resulted in the deaths of at least 43,020 individuals. On that same day in Israel, an estimated 1,139 people lost their lives due to Hamas-led assaults and over 200 were captured.