Middle East: Overnight Israeli bombardments in Gaza following attack on Netanyahu’s home – dozens dead

An Israeli airstrike on Saturday night claimed at least 73 lives in the Gaza Strip, according to the civil defense of the small Palestinian enclave. This came on the same day that a drone targeted the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in central Israel, which was deemed an assassination attempt by Hezbollah.

The Israeli military bombed a residential area in Beit Lahiya, in northern Gaza, where it launched a new offensive against elements of the Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas.

Israeli air strike on Beit Lahiya kills at least 73 Palestinians.

Warplanes carried out strikes on residential areas in northern Gaza, late on Saturday, killing and wounding over 100 people. pic.twitter.com/zl7YrHgfyj

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 19, 2024

“Rescue teams found 73 dead and a large number of injured in Beit Lahiya, and there are still bodies under the rubble,” said Mahmoud Basal, a civil defense spokesperson.

The Israeli military, however, contested the casualty figures released by Gaza authorities, asserting that it had used “precision” ammunition against a Hamas “target.”

Before this attack, civil defense had already reported “over 400 dead” in northern Gaza since October 6, when Israel began its latest operations aimed at preventing Hamas’ military arm from regrouping.

“Grim news from northern Gaza, where Palestinians continue to endure unspeakable horror under siege by Israeli forces,” Joyce Msuya, the acting head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated on X (formerly Twitter).

Gaza Officials Publish List of Those Killed in Israeli Assault. The First 14 Pages Are Babies | Common Dreams https://t.co/9fr9wRGN4J

— Alayyan (@ihaveadreamanna) October 20, 2024

Earlier on Saturday, a drone targeted Netanyahu’s private home in Caesarea (in central Israel). Neither the Israeli Prime Minister nor his wife were there at the time, his office confirmed. That evening, the Israeli military reported that Hezbollah had launched at least 200 rockets and/or drones from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

“Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, which tried to assassinate me and my wife, made a serious mistake,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “I say to Iran and its allies in the axis of evil: anyone who tries to harm Israeli citizens will pay a high price.”

These accusations have heightened fears of further military escalation in the Middle East, as Israel has threatened to retaliate for the October 1 attack of approximately 200 missiles launched by Iran, its sworn enemy. Meanwhile, Israel continues its war against both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

IDF doubts ‘exaggerated’ Hamas claim 73 killed in north Gaza strikes, says it’s probing https://t.co/AJoJ6tPkdF via @timesofisrael

— abdelhamid sekhri (@abdelhamid8397) October 20, 2024

Despite the blows dealt to both Islamist groups, killing their leaders, the two factions—both allies of Tehran—have vowed to continue their fight against Israel.

Hezbollah has not yet claimed responsibility for the drone attack on Netanyahu’s residence, though Iran’s permanent mission to the UN stated that the Lebanese group was behind the assault.

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented raid on southern Israeli areas on October 7, 2023. In retaliation, Israel launched large-scale military operations in Gaza, where Hamas has held power since 2007. The next day, Hezbollah opened a front against Israel in support of Hamas.

The Israeli army announced the deaths of two of its members in northern Gaza, raising the official count of soldiers killed since Israel began ground operations in Gaza on October 27, 2023, to 357.

Following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, killed by Israeli forces in Gaza on Wednesday, Hamas vowed that its battle against Israel would continue “until Palestine is liberated.”

Sinwar had been labeled by Israel as the mastermind behind the October 7 raid, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to official data compiled by AFP, including hostages who died in captivity.

Of the 251 people abducted on that day, 97 remain held hostage in Gaza, with 34 declared dead by the Israeli military.

Hamas emphasized that hostages held in the Palestinian enclave would not be released until “the attack on Gaza stops,” which has claimed the lives of at least 42,519 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry as of midday yesterday.

After approximately a year of sporadic exchanges of fire with Hezbollah and weakening Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli military shifted its war focus to Lebanon in mid-September, conducting intense bombings against Hezbollah.

Since September 30, Israel has conducted a ground offensive in southern Lebanon, with the stated goal of neutralizing Hezbollah near the border to allow the safe return of some 60,000 northern residents who fled their homes due to constant rocket fire from Shiite fighters.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (FINUL in French, UNIFIL in English), deployed in the south, accused Israeli forces of targeting its positions.

A UN peacekeeping outpost that had not been resupplied since September 29 due to blocked roads and had run out of drinking water by Friday was finally resupplied last night, the force said.

The Israeli military announced yesterday that it bombed Hezbollah weapons depots in a southern Beirut suburb. Bombings were also reported in eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as areas south of the Lebanese capital.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching rockets into northern Israel. Israeli emergency services reported one death near Acre.

At least 1,454 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israeli airstrikes intensified on September 23, according to AFP data based on official reports. In mid-October, the UN counted nearly 700,000 internally displaced Lebanese civilians.

Israeli Army Orders Evacuations in Beirut Suburbs

At the same time, early this morning, the Israeli military ordered residents of two southern suburbs of Beirut to evacuate their homes as it prepared to bomb two properties that it claims are Hezbollah facilities.

The properties are located in the neighborhoods of Haret Hreik and Hadath, according to the Israeli military’s warning to the residents. “You are close to Hezbollah facilities that will be targeted very soon,” the Israeli military warned.

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