Israel has revealed escalated military attacks on Lebanon’s ancient city of Baalbek and has bombed the city, leaving at least 19 dead, of whom 8 were women. This escalation has caused a lot of concerns given the fact that Lebanon’s caretaker, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, is optimistic about a near future ceasefire accord with Israel. His optimism is coming against the backdrop of the arrival of the U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, who was in the region for talks meant to ensure a cessation of hostilities.
On the same day and in the same area, Israel attacked Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, and killed five people when one of its missiles hit a warehouse that was storing many medical supplies, most of which arrived in the hospital a few days ago.
The seven weeks of the military operation have been catastrophic, with the death toll in Gaza claimed to be at least 43,163 Palestinians killed and 101,510 injured since the fighting started on October 7, 2023. This is because, in this period, a total of 1 139 people were killed in Israeli territory by an attack from the Hamas group and over 200 other captives.
Gazans have paid the heaviest price in the current conflict; they lost 2,822 of their people while 12,937 others were injured in Israeli operations since the start of the Gaza operation, according to the Lebanese government. The situation remains unstable, and various foreign actors aimed at coming to search for a solution to the conflict.
