Prospects for a ceasefire between Israel and its adversaries, Hamas and Hezbollah, dimmed on Friday as Israeli airstrikes resulted in significant casualties in the Gaza Strip and bombarded southern Beirut in Lebanon.
According to medical sources in Gaza, at least 68 people were killed and dozens injured overnight in Israeli strikes targeting the city of Deir Al-Balah, the Nuseirat refugee camp, and the town of Al-Zawayda in central Gaza, as well as areas in the south.
The Israeli military announced the killing of senior Hamas official Izz al-Din Kassab in an airstrike on the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. Kassab was described as one of the last high-ranking members of Hamas responsible for coordinating with other groups in Gaza.
Hopes for a temporary ceasefire had been nurtured as U.S. envoys worked to secure a truce ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. However, Hamas, through its Al-Aqsa television channel, reported on Friday that it does not favor a temporary truce. The ceasefire proposals reportedly failed to meet its conditions, which include ending the year-long conflict in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the devastated Palestinian enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to national security, stating that his priority is to enforce security “despite any pressure or constraints.” His office conveyed this message to U.S. envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk during their visit to Israel on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Israeli military operations continued against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In central Gaza, medics reported that fourteen people were killed when an Israeli strike hit the entrance of a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Nuseirat, and another ten people were killed in a car in Khan Younis.
Hours later, reports emerged of Israeli tanks advancing on the northern and eastern sides of Nuseirat. Medics stated that an Israeli airstrike killed four people, including three children. The Israeli military claimed its troops killed armed combatants in central Gaza and the northern Jabalia area but had no immediate comment on the reported school strike.
The situation has been described as “apocalyptic” by the heads of UN humanitarian agencies, who expressed grave concern over the risk of disease, famine, and violence facing the entire Palestinian population in northern Gaza as Israel continues its offensive.
In Lebanon, Israel launched at least ten strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday morning, marking the first bombardment of the area—considered a Hezbollah stronghold—in nearly a week. The strikes followed Israeli evacuation orders for ten neighborhoods in the Lebanese capital.
Residents in Beirut expressed distress over the escalating conflict. Hassan Saad, speaking on a city street, told Reuters, “This is a brutal war, and Israel does not have the right to do this… There must be a limit put for Israel because it does not abide by any of the laws or human morality.”
Another resident, Ali Ramadan, suggested that the Israeli airstrikes were intended to exert pressure on Lebanon amid ceasefire negotiations.
The intensifying hostilities have diminished hopes for a truce before the U.S. presidential election next Tuesday. Hamas officials stated that the ceasefire proposals did not address their key demands, including a permanent end to hostilities, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the return of displaced people, and the reopening of border crossings.
Diplomatic efforts continue, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer discussing potential solutions to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as addressing dire humanitarian conditions in the region, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.
‘Israeli Stubbornness’
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday accused Israel of impeding progress in negotiations. “Israeli statements and diplomatic signals received by Lebanon confirm the Israeli stubbornness in rejecting the proposed solutions and insisting on the approach of killing and destruction,” he said.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that 52 people were killed on Friday in Israeli strikes on more than a dozen towns in the Baalbek region, an area known for its UNESCO-listed Roman ruins.
In neighboring Syria, an Israeli strike near northeast Lebanon forced the shutdown of a border crossing, according to Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ali Hamieh. The crossing had only partially reopened following previous closures due to Israeli bombing.
The conflict escalated after Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with Palestinians, following an attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and 251 hostages taken back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s retaliatory offensives have resulted in significant loss of life and destruction. According to Palestinian sources, more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed, and much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble. Lebanon’s health ministry reported at least 2,897 fatalities in Lebanon as of Friday’s update.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
