The Lebanese health ministry has reported that the death toll from Israel’s recent air strikes in Beirut has exceeded 300, with rescue operations ongoing to locate additional victims. Eyewitnesses from the affected residential areas informed ABC News that the deceased had no affiliations with Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
One medical facility indicated that out of those injured in the bombings, at least 10% were children. Over 24 hours following the air strikes, rescue teams continued to sift through debris in search of survivors.<\/p>\n
As of Friday, the health ministry updated the death count to at least 303, a significant increase of 100 from the previous day. Israeli officials claimed that their military operations were aimed at Iranian-backed Hezbollah, with the defense minister alleging that around 200 \u201cterrorists\u201d were killed, although no evidence was provided to substantiate this claim. However, a casualty list released by the health ministry revealed that 30 children and 71 women were among the deceased.<\/p>\n
In Corniche al-Mazraa, a densely populated area of central Beirut, an entire building was completely destroyed, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals. A local shop that sold roasted nuts and coffee suffered severe damage during the attack. Paramedics on the scene described the aftermath as horrific, with numerous victims sustaining serious burns.<\/p>\n
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, more than 1,150 individuals were injured during the bombings, and efforts to find more victims continue amid the rubble. One paramedic, Abu Bakr, remarked that there was no Hezbollah presence in the area affected by the strikes, contradicting Israeli claims.<\/p>\n
Another paramedic, Ahmed Asha, suggested that the attacks served as a warning to the Lebanese population, implying a forthcoming genocide. While Israel had issued warnings for certain regions in southern Beirut, these did not extend to other affected areas, which were also hit. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) justified the strikes by accusing Hezbollah of embedding itself within civilian populations.<\/p>\n
Local resident Bashia Yehyawi recounted hearing low-flying fighter jets before the explosions, which prompted her and others to rush to the scene. Among the victims was Nader El Khalil, a long-time employee at a nut shop, who was recently engaged. Yehyawi emphasized that he had no political affiliations and was well-known within the community.<\/p>\n
She expressed frustration over the indiscriminate nature of the attacks, stating, \u201cThey\u2019re just throwing poison and leaving.\u201d The IDF maintains that its operations are focused on Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel.<\/p>\n
In the wake of the bombings, hospitals in Beirut faced immense pressure as they dealt with the influx of casualties. The World Health Organization warned that some facilities could soon run out of essential supplies. Dr. Eveline Hitti, head of the emergency department at the American University of Beirut Hospital, described the incident as one of the most significant mass casualty events in the last 15 years, noting that many of the injured were children, some of whom had been orphaned as a result of the violence.<\/p>\n
Dr. Hitti recounted the harrowing case of a seven-year-old boy who arrived at the hospital alone, having lost his parents in the attacks. She stated, \u201cWhat we are witnessing with Israeli assaults on Lebanon mirrors the situation in Gaza, resulting in a pediatric war injury epidemic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohamad El Zaatari from Rafik Hariri Hospital reported treating at least ten children with various injuries, as families continued to arrive to identify the deceased. He characterized the aftermath of the strikes as a \u201ccatastrophe.\u201d<\/p>\n
In light of the extensive bombings, which coincided with a recent ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, international leaders, including UK\u2019s Sir Keir Starmer and France\u2019s Emmanuel Macron, have strongly condemned Israel’s actions in Lebanon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Lebanese health ministry has reported that the death toll from Israel’s recent air strikes in Beirut has exceeded 300, with rescue operations ongoing to locate additional victims. Eyewitnesses from the affected residential areas informed ABC News that the deceased had no affiliations with Hezbollah. One medical facility indicated that out of those injured in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6475,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[43,324,344,595],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-au-unrest-conflict-and-war","category-au-war","category-au-world-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n