Children light candles during a solidarity vigil at Beirut’s Ramlet al-Bayda beach in memory of killed Lebanese journalist Issam Abdallah and in support of Palestinians on the Gaza Strip, Oct. 22, 2023, organized by Lebanon's Press Photographers Syndicate and the Ajial Social Communication Center. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)
Catch up on our LIVE coverage of Day 16, Day 15 and Day 14 of the Hamas-Israel war.
At least 17 Hezbollah fighters were killed in the last two days in tit-for-tat exchanges with the Israeli army near Lebanon’s southern border, which also wounded a resident of Mays al-Jabal. The party announced several operations adjacent to the border over the weekend, targeting Israeli military positions with guided missiles and artillery. Israel retaliated with airstrikes, drone strikes and shelling in South Lebanon. Amid a mass deployment of Israeli troops to the frontier, Reuters reported that Israel plans to evacuate 14 additional locations near the Lebanese border. An Israeli military spokesperson previously said the evacuation gave the army more leeway in its operations. Between Friday and yesterday, Israel targeted the southern Lebanese towns of Aita al-Shaab, Alma al-Shaab, Blida, Dhayra, Mays al-Jabal, Ramia and Yaroun. The bombing of Ramia caused several casualties, a Hezbollah source told L’Orient Today. Lebanon's Civil Defense said most of the area’s residents had evacuated. A security source told L’Orient Today six Hezbollah members were killed Sunday evening in Israel’s bombardment of Mays al-Jabal, from which the party had launched a cross-border attack. The village mayor confirmed to L’Orient Today’s correspondent that a resident was hospitalized for wounds suffered at home after Israeli forces directed heavy machine gun fire toward area residences. The state-run National News Agency reported Sunday that two passengers were injured when their vehicle took Israeli fire in Aitaroun. A week after eyewitnesses said Israeli fire killed Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah and wounded several other journalists last Friday, Israeli machine-gun fire reportedly targeted and trapped seven journalists in the Lebanese border town of Houla on Thursday evening, killing at least one of the group. At least 38 people have been killed in southern Lebanon since Oct. 7, including four civilians and 30 members of Hezbollah. Three people were killed in Israeli-controlled territories during exchanges near Lebanon’s southern border. Two Islamic Jihad fighters were killed after infiltrating Israeli territory. French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that his country’s diplomats had daily urged “moderation” from Hezbollah. Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati yesterday said the government is “continuing its diplomatic and internal contacts in order to stop the Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon and to prevent the Gaza war spreading to Lebanon.” Last week, the Lebanese government approved a war-preparedness plan aiming to protect vital infrastructure. The Red Cross said Saturday it is ready for “any emergency” and has prepared “swift field training courses” for volunteers.
Lebanese Civil Defense on Saturday extended condolences to the families of eight people found dead after a building collapsed in Mansourieh last week, announcing the end of its five-day search-and-rescue operation. Four women were rescued alive from the rubble of the Edmond Yazbeck Block E building in Badran, Mansourieh, in the Metn district, after it collapsed last Monday. Eight people were confirmed to have died in the collapse. All the buildings on the block were evacuated the day of the collapse. Tremors from a devastating earthquake that killed over 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria in February sparked fears about building safety in Lebanon. Lebanese Property Owners’ Association head Andira al-Zouheiri told L’Orient Today more than 16,200 buildings across Lebanon are “at risk of collapse,” a condition exacerbated by the February earthquake and “harsh” weather conditions. Last November, a parliamentary subcommittee was formed to track buildings at risk of collapse after a Tripoli school’s roof fell in, killing a 16-year-old student. In the last year, Tripoli has experienced a number of incidents where ceilings and walls, sometimes entire buildings, have collapsed on residents.
Middle East Airlines (MEA) CEO Mohammad al-Hout announced Friday that “more than half” of the airline’s flights will be canceled after an “insurance cancellation.” MEA said that 20 flights were canceled and 16 rescheduled yesterday, that 18 are canceled and 10 rescheduled today and that 14 are canceled and 10 are rescheduled tomorrow. Saudi airline Saudia has canceled all flights to Lebanon until further notice, an employee confirmed to L’Orient Today. Meanwhile, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments joined a growing list of countries advising their citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon. Oman urged its citizens to leave Lebanon.
The Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday that fuel was urgently needed in hospitals, highlighting that the aid shipments that entered through the Rafah crossing that day were a fraction of what was received daily before Oct. 7. AFP reported that Gaza received 17 additional aid trucks yesterday, the second shipment since the only non-Israeli-controlled entrance to the enclave was opened on Saturday, with the delivery of medicine, medical supplies and limited amounts of food. Israeli army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagar said fuel would not be included in the aid shipments. Since Oct. 9, Israel has blocked Gaza’s access to water, electricity, fuel and food, prompting warnings from global leaders and international organizations of a humanitarian catastrophe. At least 120 premature infants in incubators in Gaza are at risk due to fuel shortages, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson Jonathan Crickx told AFP. “Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, aid will not reach many civilians in desperate need,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said, while a separate statement from the agency said they only had three days’ worth of fuel left. Tons of aid intended for Gaza piled up in Egypt, prevented from entering Gaza by Israeli bombardment. The Israeli military yesterday said it regretted an accidental attack by one of its tanks on an Egyptian position. Israeli officials previously said they would continue the blockade until Hamas releases hostages captured on Oct. 7 — which a revised Israeli toll estimates to include 212 people. Hamas released US citizen Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie on Friday evening following Qatari mediation. Hamas claims that several hostages held in Gaza have been killed by Israeli strikes.
Tens of thousands of Israeli troops surrounded Gaza while Israel announced an intensification of its airstrikes on the enclave in preparation for a land invasion. The Gaza Health Ministry-compiled death toll in the enclave since Oct. 7 rose from at least 4,137 people as of Friday to 4,651 confirmed as of yesterday. An additional 1,245 were confirmed to have been wounded between Friday and Saturday. More than 40 percent of all Gaza’s housing has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN, citing local authorities. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) yesterday said at least 29 members of its Gaza staff, half of them teachers, have been killed since Oct. 7. UNRWA added that 12 displaced people have been killed and nearly 180 wounded while sheltering at their schools, while some 38 UNRWA installations have been damaged. An Israeli airstrike on the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church compound in Gaza City on Friday killed at least 18 people. On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike killed 13 people in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah.
World leaders attending a summit in Cairo on Saturday urged Israel to consider a cease-fire and political solutions. Jordanian King Abdullah said the bombing campaign underway in Gaza is “cruel and unconscionable,” criticizing the lack of accountability for the collective punishment Israel is inflicting by attacking civilian infrastructure and depriving the enclave of “food, water, electricity and basic necessities.” Representatives from Israel, Iran and the US did not attend. The same day, the US announced a strengthening of its military resources and regional “deterrence efforts,” including the deployment of anti-missile systems and the “pre-deployment” of military assets. More than 300 people were arrested Friday for participating in a protest at Capitol Hill organized by Jewish advocacy groups demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, AP reported. At least 2,000 people gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs Friday in solidarity with Gaza, while hundreds of people participated in similar stands at the American University of Beirut, downtown Beirut, Tarik al-Jadideh, Saida’s Martyrs’ Square and Tripoli’s Al-Nour Square. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people protested in solidarity with Palestine in London, according to the BBC. Yesterday, approximately 15,000 people gathered in France’s Place de la Republique in solidarity with Palestinians in the first French government-sanctioned pro-Palestinian demonstration.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from over the weekend: “Fearing war, south Lebanon families scramble for ‘safer’ housing further north.”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz
