Infographic by Jaimee Lee Haddad
Although September 2024 was the bloodiest month in Lebanon since Hezbollah opened a support front for Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023, October followed with heavy losses for the country.
Israeli bombardments in October inflicted a high death toll and substantial destruction of infrastructure on Lebanon. 1,024 people were killed and 4,007 were injured across the country last month, according to the Health Ministry. Although hostilities with Israel began on Oct. 8, 2023, the war in Lebanon has intensified and broadened after Israel’s pager attacks on Sept. 17 and 18, which set off unrelenting strikes that continue to this day.
September marked a grim turning point in the war with 1,241 fatalities. This toll exceeds the total casualties recorded in the Hezbollah-Israel war in July 2006. The death toll in October comprised 35 percent of all victims since Oct. 8, 2023 and underscored the escalating scope of Israeli offensives.
Infographic by Jaimee Lee Haddad
Key events behind the numbers
Oct. 28: The deadliest day of the month with 82 Fatalities
On Oct. 28, Israeli strikes targeted the Baalbeck-Hermel governorate in eastern Lebanon, where at least 56 people were killed and 81 others injured. Baalbeck-Hermel’s governor, Bachir Khodr, said on X that this was “the most violent day for Baalbeck” since the war began. This gloomy day was also marked by deadly strikes in Sour, southern Lebanon. With at least 82 dead and 180 injured, Oct. 28 was the deadliest day of the month.
Oct. 21: Strikes on Jnah and al-Qard al-Hassan facilities
In the night between Oct. 20 and 21, the Israeli army launched nearly 20 strikes on offices of the microcredit organization al-Qard al-Hassan, which is affiliated with Hezbollah. The attacks continued throughout the day, especially in Baalbeck, where one strike killed at least six people. On the evening of Oct. 21, as the Israeli army’s Arabic-speaking representative Avichay Adraee issued multiple evacuation orders warning of strikes on various locations in Beirut’s southern suburbs and Hadath, a violent strike hit Jnah without prior warning. Eighteen people, including one child, were killed and nearly 60 injured. Just meters away from Rafic Hariri Hospital, Lebanon’s largest public health facility. Several buildings were leveled. In total, 63 people died and 234 were injured, marking the highest injury count for any day in October.
Oct. 14: Bloody day in the northern governorate
For the first time since the start of the war, the Zgharta region in northern Lebanon was hit by a deadly Israeli air raid, claiming at least 22 lives in the village of Aito. Among those killed were 12 women, eight men and two children. The attack also left seven people injured. On that day, Israeli strikes across the country killed 41 people and wounded 124 others.
Oct. 10: Strikes in the heart of Beirut kill 22 people
Around 8 p.m., a missile struck Basta al-Faouqa in central Beirut. The neighboring district of Ras al-Nabeh was also hit. Although the capital had been targeted twice since Israel escalated its offensive on Sept. 23, these two attacks were the deadliest, with 22 killed and at least 117 injured. On Oct. 10, combined strikes on the capital and other parts of the country resulted in a toll of 60 fatalities and 168 injuries.
Oct. 25: 3 journalists assassinated in Hasbaya
At dawn on Oct. 25, an Israeli strike targeted a house in Hasbaya, southern Lebanon, where several journalists were stationed to cover the war. Three of them were killed: Cameraman Ghassan Najjar and his technician Mohammad Reda, both employees of the pro-Iranian news channel Al Mayadeen, as well as journalist Wissam Qassem from Hezbollah’s backed channel Al-Manar. These assassinations occurred just over a year after the killing of Issam Abdallah, the first journalist killed by an Israeli strike following the opening of the support front.
Infographic by Jaimee Lee Haddad
Human toll per governorate
In October, all regions of Lebanon except Akkar were impacted by Israeli strikes (Akkar was bombarded on Nov. 3, with strikes in Jabal Akroum injuring two). The heaviest tolls, however, were recorded in the peripheral areas where Hezbollah is based.
Here are the figures per governorate as published by the Health Ministry. A total of 109 deaths and 568 injuries were not categorized regionally, as the Ministry did not provide a daily regional breakdown for certain days in October.
Southern Lebanon endured relentless shelling throughout the month, resulting in at least 289 fatalities, making it the hardest-hit region, according to Ministry’s data. The Nabatieh governorate also suffered intense bombardment, with at least 219 deaths recorded. In Baalbeck-Hermel, intensified strikes have resulted in at least 120 deaths. The regions of Bekaa and Mount Lebanon have also been heavily affected, recording 102 and 67 fatalities, respectively. Furthermore, the governorates of Beirut and North Lebanon, which had previously been relatively untouched, have also come under attack, resulting in 31 and 27 deaths, respectively. The proportions of injuries across governorates mirror those of fatalities, reflecting the intensity of attacks in each area.
185 children killed
Since the front opened on Oct. 8, 2023, Lebanon has recorded 3,002 fatalities and 13,492 injuries. Among the deceased, at least 185 were children, 589 were women and 2,170 were men. Among the injured, 1,206 are children, 2,473 are women and 10,540 are men. The health care sector has been severely impacted, with 178 health care workers killed and at least 306 injured.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a warning in early November about the “devastating” impact of the war on children’s lives in Lebanon. “Since Oct. 4 of this year, at least one child has lost their life daily, with 10 more injured each day,” stated UNICEF’s Executive Director.
Additionally, since Lebanon turned into a battleground between Hezbollah and Israel, over 1.3 million people have been displaced. Between Sept. 23 and Oct. 25, 348,237 Syrian and 156,505 Lebanese citizens crossed the border into Syria, according to a statement from General Security.
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
