Live blog: Lebanon death toll in Israeli attacks surges to over 2,600

Friday, October 25, 2024

1800 GMT — The death toll from Israel's attacks on Lebanon since last October has surged to 2,634, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said 41 people were killed and 133 others wounded in nationwide Israeli attacks, raising the number of wounded to 12,252.

Israeli warplanes on Thursday carried out 125 air strikes, most of them in southern Lebanon, according to the ministry.

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1851 GMT — Israel army issues new evacuation call for south Beirut

The Israeli army told residents of two neighbourhoods in Beirut's southern suburbs to leave immediately, warning that it would strike Hezbollah targets there.

"You are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah, against which the Israel Defense Forces will act in the near future," military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that included a map of the targeted areas in the Lebanese capital.

1844 GMT — Pro-Palestine protesters interrupt Biden's speech in Arizona

A group of pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted US President Joe Biden's speech in the state of Arizona, calling for an end to the violence in Gaza.

While Biden was formally apologising for the US's role in the Indian boarding school system during speech at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, a protester shouted: "What about the people of Gaza?"

"Free Palestine!" the people called out.

The president allowed the woman to speak and said he agreed violence in the region needs to end. "Let her go. There's a lot of innocent people being killed. There's a lot of innocent people being killed and it has to stop," he said.

1741 GMT — Israeli army raids Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, detains director

The Israeli army raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, detaining its director for interrogation, according to a Palestinian official.

"The Israeli forces raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital, northern Gaza, and ordered its director Hussam Abu Safiya to go to the hospital's yard to meet the commander of the (Israeli) invading force for interrogation," Maher Shamiyeh, the assistant undersecretary for the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, told Anadolu.

Shamiyeh said that the Israeli army is holding all patients and medical staff inside a room in the hospital, with no information about their fate.

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1718 GMT — UN urges protection of Kamal Adwan hospital

The UN called for the protection of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza amid Israel's relentless attacks.

"Kamal Adwan must be protected," UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said at a news conference.

"It is the only minimally functional hospital providing trauma care in all of north Gaza". Haq said the hospital "remains isolated due to hostilities in its vicinity".

1706 GMT — More than 500,000 fled to Syria: Lebanon

Lebanese authorities said more than half a million people, mostly Syrians, had crossed into Syrian territory since Israel began heavily striking Lebanon late last month.

Since September 23, Lebanon has "recorded the crossing of 348,237 Syrian citizens and 156,505 Lebanese citizens into Syrian territory", a statement from the Lebanese disaster management unit said.

1701 GMT — Israeli strike on journalists draws global condemnation

Three journalists have been killed in Lebanon by an Israeli strike, their colleagues said, drawing condemnation from rights advocates about the number of reporters who have lost their lives in the region over the past year.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it "strongly condemned" the attack, urging the international community to "stop Israel's long-standing pattern of impunity in journalist killings".

Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has previously denied deliberately attacking journalists.

The last year has been the deadliest period for journalists in more than 30 years, CPJ has said, with at least 126 reporters and media workers among nearly 45,000 people killed in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Lebanon.

1616 GMT — Jordanian, US top diplomats discuss humanitarian situation in Gaza, Lebanon

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as efforts to prevent regional escalation.

The meeting took place in London.

In a statement, Jordanian Foreign Ministry said during their meeting, Safadi stressed the necessity for the immediate cessation of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and the required necessary measures to halt the killings and starvation inflicted upon Palestinians in northern Gaza.

1604 GMT — Hezbollah attacks Israeli troops in two south Lebanon areas

Lebanon's Hezbollah group said its militants attacked Israeli troops in two areas of south Lebanon close to the border.

Fighters targeted soldiers on the outskirts of Adaysseh "with a guided missile" and then attacked a troop vehicle that came to their assistance, a statement said.

It added separately that Hezbollah operatives in the nearby Hula area hit an Israeli tank and fired "automatic weapons, artillery shells and rockets" at accompanying troops.

1439 GMT — Two people killed in strike on town in northern Israel, Israeli media say

Two people were killed in a strike on Majd al Krum in northern Israel, Israeli media said, following a statement from Hezbollah saying that it targeted the northern Israeli town of Karmiel with a large missile salvo.

1436 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israeli Merkava tank in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli Merkava tank on the outskirts of the town of Marwahin in southern Lebanon, resulting in a crew member being killed and another wounded.

The tank is said to have been hit by a missile, causing it to catch fire.

The group said it also fired a barrage of rockets at the Karmiel settlement in northern Israel.

1348 GMT — Three Israeli soldiers killed in north Gaza fighting

The Israeli army said three of its soldiers were killed in combat in north Gaza as it keeps up a major assault in the area.

An army statement said the soldiers "fell during combat in northern Gaza", bringing the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza campaign to 361 since the start of ground invasion in the territory last year.

1342 GMT — Security situation in south Lebanon 'extremely challenging': UNIFIL

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the security situation in south Lebanon is "extremely challenging" despite extensive measures taken to protect the peacekeepers' safety and security.

According to a statement released by the mission, two medevac teams meeting at Yarin to transfer a patient came under fire of unknown origin early Wednesday.

"One vehicle was immobilised and had to be left at the scene," it said.

1332 GMT — WHO chief says contact lost with staff at north Gaza hospital

The World Health Organization's chief said they had lost contact with staff at northern Gaza's last functioning hospital, after the Israeli army said it was operating in the area.

"Since this morning's reports of a raid on Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, we have lost touch with the personnel there," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

"This development is deeply disturbing given the number of patients being served and people sheltering there."

1319 GMT — Israeli strike on civilian group in Gaza kills nine Palestinians

At least nine Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike that targeted a group of civilians west of Gaza City.

A medical source from al-Ahli Arab Hospital told Anadolu that the facility received several wounded and the bodies of nine people after the air strike.

The strike targeted the Shati refugee camp, witnesses told Anadolu.

1307 GMT — Israel's air strike shuts 2nd Lebanon-Syria border crossing: official

The second border crossing between Lebanon and Syria has been rendered inoperative following an Israeli air strike, Lebanese Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh said.

Lebanon and Syria are connected by six official border crossings: Jdeidet Yabous, Dabousiyah, Jusiyah, Talkalakh, Matribah and Arida.

In a statement to a local broadcaster, Hamieh said: "The Israeli strike on the town of Jusiyah has entirely blocked the crossing point that connects Lebanese and Syrian territories at the Qaa area in eastern Lebanon."

"Only one crossing now remains open between Lebanon and Syria," he added.

1306 GMT — Global community urged to save Kamal Adwan Hospital

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza called on the international community to take immediate action to save Kamal Adwan Hospital, which has been overtaken by Israeli army forces.

This urgent plea follows reports that Israeli troops stormed the hospital, detaining hundreds of patients, medical staff and displaced civilians inside the facility.

The incursion is part of a broader offensive that has persisted for 21 days, during which the ministry alleges systematic attacks on healthcare infrastructure and personnel.

In a statement, the Health Ministry expressed its outrage, saying: "The world stands by while the most horrific genocide and the systematic dismantling of our healthcare system occurs, with patients and medical personnel facing violence and detention."

1259 GMT — 'Darkest moment' of war unfolding in northern Gaza: UN rights chief

The UN rights chief said the "darkest moment" of the conflict in Gaza was unfolding in the north of the territory, warning that Israel's actions could amount to "atrocity crimes".

"Unimaginably, the situation is getting worse by the day. The Israeli government's policies and practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of all Palestinians," Volker Turk said in a statement.

"We are facing what could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity."

1200 GMT — WHO hopes to resume polio vaccinations in Gaza next week

The World Health Organisation said it hoped to administer a second dose of the polio vaccine to children in northern Gaza from next week, after Israeli bombing had halted the drive.

The vaccination campaign began on September 1 after the besieged Palestinian territory confirmed its first case of polio in 25 years.

A first round of inoculation was completed and the second round — essential to build up immunity — began as scheduled on October 14, first in central Gaza, then the south, aided by so-called "humanitarian pauses" in the fighting.

But the WHO said on Wednesday it had been forced to postpone the final phase in the north due to "intense bombardment", making the conditions on the ground "impossible".

1157 GMT — Israel waging 'war of aggression' against entire population of Lebanon: aid agency

A Norwegian humanitarian aid organisation said Israel is waging "a war of aggression" against Lebanon and its entire population, not just Hezbollah, local media reported.

"It is high time that the world dares to call a spade a spade. We are witnessing a war of aggression," local news agency NTB quoted Norwegian People's Aid Secretary General Raymond Johansen as saying.

Johansen said Israeli authorities have launched a large-scale war affecting the entire country and population.

1152 GMT — Gaza children dying as Israel curtails medical evacuations: UN agencies

Children in Gaza are dying in pain for want of emergency treatment as a result of Israeli authorities approving fewer and fewer of them for medical evacuation following the closure of the Rafah crossing, United Nations agencies said.

Whereas before almost 300 children were being evacuated a month, that number had now declined to less than one per day, with medics waiting in vain for security approvals from Israeli authorities controlling exits from Gaza, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told a briefing in Geneva.

"As a result, children in Gaza are dying, not just from the bombs and the bullets and the shells that strike them," he said, describing several cases of children with severe, life-threatening injuries facing unexplained delays or refusals of doctors' evacuation requests.

"Even when miracles happen, even when the bombs go off and the homes collapse and the casualties mount but the child survives, they are then prevented from leaving Gaza for the urgent medical care that can save their lives."

1150 GMT — Israeli strikes kill 38 people in Gaza's Khan Younis

Israeli strikes killed 38 people in Gaza in Lebanon as growing worries about supply shortages in Gaza and international pressure for a ceasefire mounted.

The deaths reported by Palestinian health officials in Gaza were the latest in Khan Younis, where people have in recent days lined up for bread outside the city's only bakery in operation.

They come a day after United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel had accomplished its objective of "effectively dismantling" Hamas and implored both sides to revive negotiations.

1144 GMT — UN peacekeepers say Israel troops fired at Lebanon post

United Nations peacekeepers said Israeli soldiers fired at one of their observation posts in south Lebanon this week, adding the security situation was "extremely challenging" amid other unidentified attacks.

On Tuesday, "IDF (Israeli army) soldiers fired at" an observation post near the border village of Dhayra, a statement from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.

"The duty guards withdrew to avoid being shot," it added.

1136 GMT — Four killed in Gaza shelling targeting civilians, school

At least four Palestinians were killed and several others were injured in an Israeli attack that targeted a gathering of civilians and a school sheltering displaced individuals in northern Gaza.

Medical sources told Anadolu that four Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike that struck a group of civilians near the Qassam Mosque in the Beit Lahia area.

In a separate incident, Israeli artillery targeted the Halima al Sadia School in Jabalia, which has been housing displaced residents, resulting in multiple injuries.

1132 GMT — Several injured in Israeli army attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza

Several medical staff members were injured when the Israeli army again targeted the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, with artillery shelling and gunfire and the army forces later stormed the health facility, damaging its critical life-saving equipment.

Medical sources told Anadolu that several healthcare workers at the hospital were injured in the Israeli artillery shelling and gunfire directed at the facility.

The army also bombed the hospital's main oxygen station, rendering it inoperable, they added. The same sources reported that Israeli forces stormed the hospital hours after it was attacked with artillery shelling and gunfire.

1130 GMT — Peacekeepers withdrew from post in Zahajra in south Lebanon under Israeli fire

Peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon withdrew from a observation post in Zahajra town in south Lebanon on Tuesday after Israeli forces fired at it, the force said on Friday.

1050 GMT — Israeli strike that killed media workers a 'war crime': Lebanon

Lebanon accused Israel of targeting journalists in a "deliberate" attack that killed three media workers in the country's south, calling the incident a "war crime".

The strike "targeting journalists" was, according to Prime Minister Najib Mikati, among the "war crimes committed by the Israeli enemy". He also said the attack was "deliberate".

Asked by AFP for comment, the Israeli military has not yet responded.

1011 GMT — Israel must stop 'ethnic cleansing', Jordan foreign minister tells Blinken

Jordan's foreign minister called for pressure on Israel to end "ethnic cleansing", in strong remarks as he met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in London.

Deploring the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, Ayman Safadi told Blinken: "We do see ethnic cleansing taking place, and that has got to stop."

He added: "We really stand at the brink of regional war now. The only path to save the region from that is for Israel to stop the aggressions on Gaza, on Lebanon, stop unilateral measures, illegal measures, in the West Bank, that is also pushing the situation to an abyss."

1005 GMT — Lebanon says 163 rescuers, health workers killed in year of Israeli strikes

Lebanon's health minister said Israeli strikes killed more than 160 rescuers and health workers in a year of fire exchange between Israel and Hezbollah, calling it a "war crime".

The total number of rescuers and "health sector workers killed has so far has reached 163, with 272 others wounded," Firass Abiad told reporters during a press conference detailing "damage caused by Israeli attacks on the health sector in Lebanon".

He said the attacks were "direct and intentional", and "a war crime".

0817 GMT — EU says 'race against time' to avoid Lebanon 'conflagration'

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the international community must speed up efforts for a political solution to end the fighting in Lebanon and prevent a "conflagration".

In a statement released the day after a conference on aid for Lebanon in France, Borrell said the first step needed was a "ceasefire" between Israel and Hezbollah.

"We are currently engaged in a race against time between the possible start of a political process in Lebanon and a generalised conflagration with incalculable consequences," Borrell said.

"Without a suspension of hostilities, nothing will be possible," he said.

Lebanon's Information Minister Ziad Makary said the attack on a compound housing journalists which killed three media staffers is an "assassination" and "a war crime".

In a statement, Makary said there were 18 journalists representing seven media organisations at the compound in the town of Hasbaya in south Lebanon.

The Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV said two of its staffers — camera operator Ghassan Najar and broadcast technician Mohammed Rida — were among the journalists killed early Friday.

Al-Manar TV of Lebanon's Hezbollah group said its camera operator Wissam Qassim was also killed in the air strike.

Several medical staff members were injured when the Israeli army again targeted the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, with artillery shelling and gunfire on Friday, and the army forces later stormed the health facility to damage its critical life-saving equipment.

0300 GMT — Three journalists killed in Israeli air strike: Lebanese state media

Lebanese state media has said three journalists were killed in an overnight Israeli air strike in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria.

"Our correspondent in Zahle reported the death of three journalists in an Israeli raid on Hasbaya," Lebanon's National News Agency reported on Friday, adding that "Israeli warplanes raided at 3:30 am (0030 GMT) on the Lebanese-Syrian border."

2300 GMT — Netanyahu, his war cabinet 'biggest obstacle' to regional peace: Türkiye

The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Thursday following claims by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz against Türkiye's anti-terror operations in Syria.

"It does not come as a surprise to us that the bloody Israeli administration, which massacred more than 40,000 civilians in Gaza without discriminating between children and women, committed genocide in front of the eyes of the world, and brought nothing but occupation, massacres, and state terror in its region and beyond, targeting our country and the UN, disregarding international law and norms," the statement said.

It said the remarks highlight the "desperation of Israel, which has engaged in state terrorism in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria", as well as its isolation in the international arena.

Ankara does not find the remarks noteworthy, calling them "baseless accusations for personal gain".

2230 GMT — Israeli army targets southern Beirut with fresh air strikes

Israeli warplanes conducted air strikes late on Thursday in southern Beirut following hours of relative calm.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli fighter jets targeted a building in the Chouaifet Al Aamroussieh area with two air strikes.

Earlier, the Israeli army warned residents of a building in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood to evacuate immediately ahead of an air strike.

2200 GMT — Israel committing brutal genocide in Gaza hospitals: Hamas

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

"Gaza hospitals have turned into war zones where the (Israeli) occupation is committing the worst acts of brutal genocide due to the Zionist killing machine," it said.

"The fascist Israeli army is escalating its horrific crimes in northern Gaza, imposing a siege on Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Beit Lahia area, targeting it along with the wounded, patients, medical teams, and hundreds of displaced families through heavy gunfire and artillery shelling."

2200 — France's pro-Israel stance draws internal backlash from public institutions

Two French public institutions have criticised France's stance on Israel's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, sparking internal discontent on Thursday.

Employees from Expertise France, responsible for the country's international cooperation projects, and the French Development Agency's (AFD), sent letters to their management ahead of the "Support for the Lebanese People and Sovereignty" conference in Paris.

According to Le Monde, 110 employees of Expertise France addressed a letter to Director General Jeremie Pellet, urging the suspension of cooperation with Israeli institutions.

In a separate letter, employees at AFD's Beirut office criticised France's perceived diplomatic double standards in the region.

For our live updates from Thursday, October 24, 2024, click here.