BEIRUT: Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed 36 people, many of them children, as well as three journalists in Lebanon, as concerns grow over severe shortages of supplies in Gaza and calls for a cease-fire increase internationally.
Health officials in Gaza reported the casualties in Khan Younis, where residents are struggling to access basic necessities, lining up at the city’s only operational bakery. The strike follows U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks suggesting that Israel had “effectively dismantled” Hamas and calling for both sides to re-engage in peace talks.
Earlier on Friday, three journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike on guesthouses in southeast Lebanon, where media staffers were staying. Photographs showed buildings reduced to rubble, and vehicles marked “PRESS” covered in dust and debris. No warning was issued before the attack, and Lebanese authorities and media representatives condemned the strike as a potential war crime.
“These were just journalists sleeping after long days of covering the conflict,” stated Imran Khan, a senior Al Jazeera correspondent who was staying in the compound.
The conflict began when militants stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing about 250 hostages. Currently, 100 hostages are thought to be in Gaza, with about a third feared dead.
In Gaza, recent airstrikes in Khan Younis targeted homes, killing 14 children from a single family. Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 42,000 Palestinian fatalities, claiming that civilians, particularly women and children, make up more than half of the death toll. The Israeli military states it has eliminated over 17,000 combatants.
Israel’s military action has expanded into Lebanon, initiating a ground offensive on October 1 following hostilities with Hezbollah over the past year. Lebanese health officials have reported intense airstrikes killing 19 people in the last 24 hours, bringing Lebanon’s death toll to 2,593 since October.