Israeli strike on Gaza mosque kills 19 as battle widens in Lebanon : NPR

Israel has intensified its strikes in Gaza and Lebanon, because the increasing battle within the Mideast approaches one full yr for the reason that Hamas assaults on Israel on Oct. 7.

Israeli airstrikes this weekend have killed scores of individuals, in keeping with well being officers in Gaza and Lebanon, as Israel’s authorities continues to mull a response to just about 200 Iranian missiles focusing on Israel final week.

In northern Gaza, the Israeli navy dropped leaflets warning of a “new phase of war,” as commanders issued contemporary evacuation orders for the a number of hundred thousand residents that stay within the northern a part of the strip.

Within the Jabaliya space of northern Gaza, Israeli floor troops have encircled a sizeable swathe of territory, the place they are saying they’ve launched a large-scale assault towards Hamas fighters for the primary time in months, forcing civilians as soon as extra to flee.

In the meantime, simply days after sending troopers into southern Lebanon, the Israeli navy has struck buildings and different targets it hyperlinks to Hezbollah throughout Lebanon in a single day.

Israel says its latest operations inside Lebanon are a part of an try to stop Hezbollah rockets which have landed in northern Israel for the previous yr, forcing tens of 1000’s of Israeli civilians to evacuate cities and cities within the area.

Strike on mosque in Gaza kills 19

At the very least 56 folks have been killed in Gaza this weekend, in keeping with the native well being authorities there, prompting a seemingly infinite collection of funerals after a strike on a mosque Sunday. The constructing was so near a close-by hospital morgue that no ambulances have been required, with our bodies of the no less than 19 useless merely carried by hand from one compound to the subsequent.

Israel mentioned it had been a “precision strike” on the mosque, focusing on Hamas militants inside, however mourners mentioned the approaching one-year mark of the preventing in Gaza was a horrible reminder of the prices households there have confronted, with greater than 41,000 deaths recorded prior to now 12 months.

“Enough, world, enough, tomorrow will be a complete year,” mentioned Hakima Al Jamal, as she watched her dying father be carried out of the mosque. “We are tired. By God, we’re so tired.”

More Israeli troops are being moved to the border with Gaza to protect one-year commemoration ceremonies in communities affected by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks last year that killed some 1,200 people and saw more than 200 hostages taken into Gaza. 

On the eve of those ceremonies, a knife and gun attack in the southern city of Beersheba has left one person dead and 10 others wounded, according to Israeli emergency services.

Police have not yet identified the attacker, who launched the rampage at the city’s central bus station. But officials said they were treating it as a terror incident, with the country currently on high alert after several stabbing, shooting and ramming attacks in the past year, including one in Tel Aviv last week that saw seven shot inside and around a transportation hub.

Israel launches targeted strikes in Lebanon overnight

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli military says it has lost as least nine of its troops and killed more than 400 Hezbollah fighters, as it ramped up destructive strikes on the capital Beirut. The strikes were concentrated in the city’s southern suburbs that have historically served as a hub for Hebzollah, an Iran-backed militant group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and other nations.

Israel says its latest strikes targeted “weapons storage services and infrastructure websites,” however prior to now two weeks related strikes have additionally killed civilians, together with kids. The full dying toll in Lebanon has now topped 1,000, and the Israeli assault has displaced greater than one million folks — round a fifth of the nation’s inhabitants.
 

Within the northern Lebanese metropolis of Tripoli, new arrivals from the nation’s south — a few of them refugees from Syria compelled to maneuver on as soon as extra by one other spherical of battle — have seen their lives shattered in a brief time period.

Whereas native residents sit on blue plastic benches — younger males sharing movies on their telephones, older {couples} whiling away the time — the Israeli airstrikes penetrate additional north into the nation, leaving few safe places for civilians.

One man, Riqad, who solely gave his first identify out of considerations for his security, had arrived 4 days in the past together with his household from the southern suburbs of Beirut, after earlier fleeing Israeli assaults close to their dwelling within the southern metropolis of Tyre.

“There is no safe place” Riqad mentioned Saturday. “The Israelis are bombing everywhere.” As he spoke, two young children in his family asked an adult relative if the bombs would reach them at the hotel where a politician affiliated with Hezbollah had granted shelter to them and other displaced families.

A few hours earlier, Israeli jets had fired on a nearby refugee camp for Palestinians, close to Tripoli. The attack targeted a commander linked to the militant group Hamas, as well as members of his family, and represented the most northerly attack by Israel since the conflict began in Gaza, 200 miles to the south.

The devastating impact on Lebanese society has been shockingly swift. One pre-med student, who gave only her first name Yasmin, had started college only a month earlier.

“I thought it would be one of the best years of my life. I’ve worked so much to get to the university I am in,” she mentioned. “Now, all I miss is my college days … the espresso there, my associates, learning within the library. That is all I need now.”

NPR producer Anas Baba contributed to this story from Gaza.