The conflict between Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon continues to intensify, with devastating consequences for civilians. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes on a mosque and a school in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, killed at least 26 Palestinians and wounded many others. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, these sites were sheltering displaced people. The Israeli military claimed, without presenting evidence, that Hamas was using the mosque and school as command centers.
This attack is part of a larger pattern of escalating violence that has seen three major strikes on civilian areas in Gaza over the past 24 hours, leaving 45 people dead and 256 injured. Since the war began a year ago, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 41,870, with over 97,000 wounded.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from the site of the destroyed mosque, described the extent of the damage, noting that it took paramedics several hours to recover bodies due to the widespread destruction.
On the same day, Israel issued more evacuation orders for northern Gaza, directing residents to move to the overcrowded “humanitarian zone” in al-Mawasi. Israeli military spokespeople accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure as human shields, while UN and Palestinian officials warn that no area in Gaza is truly safe, as even designated humanitarian zones have been hit by Israeli missiles.
In Jabalia, northern Gaza, Israeli ground forces have encircled the area, launching large-scale operations against Hamas fighters. Civilians, already displaced multiple times, are once again fleeing the relentless bombardment.
The situation is similarly dire in Lebanon. Israeli strikes over the weekend killed scores of people, as the conflict with Hezbollah escalates. In the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is headquartered, Israeli airstrikes targeted what they described as weapons storage facilities and infrastructure, but civilians were also caught in the crossfire, with over 1,000 killed so far in Lebanon. These strikes have displaced more than a million people, around one-fifth of Lebanon’s population.
In northern Lebanon, cities like Tripoli are now receiving waves of refugees from the south. Among them are people like Riqad, a father who fled both Tyre and Beirut’s southern suburbs, only to face continued Israeli airstrikes. “There is no safe place,” he said, as even areas further north are being bombed.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops have moved into southern Lebanon, aiming to prevent Hezbollah rocket attacks that have plagued northern Israel for the past year. Nine Israeli soldiers have been reported dead in recent fighting, while over 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed according to Israeli sources.
As the war approaches its first anniversary since Hamas’s deadly attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, both sides are preparing for commemorations under heightened security. In Israel, a knife and gun attack at a Beersheba bus station left one person dead and 10 others injured, amid a series of terror incidents that have plagued the country throughout the year.
The human toll continues to rise across Gaza and Lebanon, as civilians are repeatedly displaced and face worsening humanitarian conditions. The war has shattered lives, with young people like Yasmin, a university student from Lebanon, expressing sorrow over the lost opportunities and the devastation of their futures.
