By Israeli airstrikes killed at least 23 people Sunday in a Lebanese village far from Hezbollah strongholds, while separate attacks in northern Gaza left at least 17 dead, as the widening regional conflict threatens to push parts of the Palestinian enclave into famine.
The strike on Aalmat village, 25 miles north of Beirut, killed civilians and wounded six others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Video footage showed rescuers pulling a young girl’s body from the rubble of a flattened house. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack, which struck well beyond Hezbollah’s traditional southern territories.
In Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, an Israeli strike destroyed a home sheltering displaced Palestinians, killing at least 17 people including nine women, according to Dr. Fadel Naim, director of Gaza City’s Al-Ahly Hospital. The Israeli military said it targeted militant operations in the area without providing evidence, adding the incident is under review.
A separate Gaza City strike killed Hamas government minister Wael al-Khour along with his wife and three children, according to Civil Defense officials.
The escalating violence comes as food security experts warn of imminent famine in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have isolated communities for over a month. The crisis intensifies as a U.S. deadline approaches for Israel to increase humanitarian aid access or risk military funding restrictions.
The regional conflict has expanded dramatically since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, with a third presumed dead. Israel’s response has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who say more than half were women and children.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has also intensified since September, when Israeli strikes killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and top commanders. The Lebanese Health Ministry reports over 3,000 deaths in Lebanon and more than 70 in Israel as both sides escalate attacks deeper into each other’s territory.
Peace efforts have stalled on multiple fronts. Qatar announced this weekend it had suspended its mediation role until parties show “willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war and the ongoing suffering of civilians.” The Gulf state has been a key intermediary with Hamas throughout the conflict.
The war has displaced about 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, with hundreds of thousands living in crowded tent camps with minimal services. On Sunday, the Israeli military released what it said was footage from 2018-2020 showing Hamas abusing detainees, though the videos could not be independently verified.
The humanitarian situation appears most dire in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have encircled Jabaliya and nearby towns, allowing only limited aid. The offensive has left vast areas in ruins, with residents facing increasingly desperate conditions as international organizations warn of widespread hunger and disease.
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