Israeli strikes killed dozens of people including children on Sunday in Lebanon and isolated northern Gaza, as the world watched for signs of how the US election might affect the wars between Israel and Iranian-backed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has spoken three times to US president-elect Donald Trump since Tuesday’s election and they “see eye-to-eye regarding the Iranian threat and all of its components”. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to meet US President Joe Biden on Tuesday.
The Israeli strike in Lebanon killed at least 23 people, including seven children, in Aalmat village north of Beirut, far from the areas in the east and south where Hezbollah has a major presence. There was no Israeli evacuation warning, and no immediate Israeli comment.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles into Israel after war broke out in Gaza, in solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas. Israel retaliated, and a series of escalations have led to all-out war.
In northern Gaza, an Israeli strike on a home sheltering displaced people in the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya killed at least 17 people, including nine women, according to Dr Fadel Naim, director of Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City.
Israel’s military said it targeted a site where militants were operating, without providing evidence. It said the details of the strike were under review.
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A separate strike hit a house in Gaza City, killing Wael al-Khour, a minister in the Hamas-run government, as well as his wife and three children, according to the Civil Defence first responders who operate under the government.