On the eve of the October 7 anniversary, Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon on Sunday, while Palestinian officials said one strike on a mosque killed at least 19 people. On Sunday, Beirut's skyline lit up again with new airstrikes, a day after Israel's heaviest bombardment of the southern suburbs known as the Dahiyeh since it escalated its air campaign on September 23.
The war that started between Israel and Hamas on October 7 has widened to a regional conflict with Israel fighting on multiple fronts. The war started on October 7, 2023, when over 1,200 Israeli citizens were killed after Hamas militants infiltrated Israel.
With Israel's retaliation, the escalatory spiral started which took the form of a prolonged war in the Middle East. After a year of Hamas' October 7 attack, Israel opened a new front in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which traded fire with Israel along the border since the beginning of the Gaza war. Meanwhile, after Iran's ballistic missile strikes last week, Israel has vowed to retaliate.
Police official killed in Beersherba
Ahead of the memorial events on October 7, Israel is on high alert. A stabbing and shooting attack at the central bus station in Beersheba killed a border police officer, police said. They did not identify the assailant but were treating it as a terror attack. Additionally, an Israeli strike hit a mosque where displaced people sheltered near the main hospital in Deir al-Balah town in Central Gaza. Another four were killed in a strike on a school-turned-shelter near the town. IDF claimed both strikes targeted militants.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began. It does not say how many were fighters but says a little over half were women and children.
Israeli strikes continue in Beirut
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported over 30 strikes overnight into Sunday. Israel's military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 130 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.
In one of the Israeli strikes, three sisters and their aunt were killed in the coastal village of Jiyyeh. The Lebanese health ministry said 25 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday. Last week, Israel initiated a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon after a series of attacks killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and his top commanders.
In a short span of escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, at least 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million became homeless. Israel said that it aims to drive the militant group from its border so tens of thousands of Israeli citizens can return home.
(With inputs from agencies)
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