Israeli Airstrikes Claim Lives of At Least 11 People in Central Beirut Areas

Israeli airstrikes on Thursday evening targeted two areas in central Beirut, resulting in at least 11 deaths and 48 injuries, according to Lebanon's health ministry. An Associated Press photographer reported that the first strike hit the lower part of an eight-storey building in Ras al-Nabaa, with explosions continuing inside. Numerous ambulances were dispatched to the location.

The second airstrike in Burj Abi Haidar led to the collapse of an entire building, which was engulfed in flames. The Israeli military has not issued a statement regarding these strikes. While Israel has frequently targeted Beirut's southern suburbs recently, attacks on central Beirut remain uncommon. These events coincide with ongoing Israeli military operations against Hezbollah across Lebanon.

Escalating Conflict and Casualties

Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza, sheltering displaced individuals, resulted in at least 27 fatalities, as reported by Palestinian medical officials. The Israeli military claimed it targeted militants but those present said aid workers were meeting there. Despite shifting focus to its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon and rising tensions with Iran, Israel continues to target what it describes as militant locations across Gaza.

In another incident, the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon reported that an Israeli tank fired on its headquarters in Naqoura, injuring two peacekeepers. This attack drew widespread condemnation and led Italy's Defence Ministry to summon Israel's ambassador in protest. The Israeli military acknowledged firing at the UN base and instructed peacekeepers to "remain in protected spaces."

Impact on Civilians and Infrastructure

Before the Beirut strikes, Lebanon's crisis response unit reported that Israeli shellfire and airstrikes had killed 28 people and injured 113. This brings the total casualties in Lebanon since last October to 2,169 killed and 10,212 wounded. On Thursday alone, Lebanese health authorities confirmed four deaths in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Hezbollah attacks have resulted in the deaths of 28 civilians and 39 soldiers in northern Israel since the conflict began last October. These casualties include both incidents within northern Israel and southern Lebanon following Israel's invasion.

Humanitarian Concerns

The strike on a school in Deir al-Balah killed 27 people, including a child and seven women, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. An Associated Press reporter witnessed ambulances arriving at the hospital with bodies, many severely damaged. The Israeli military claimed it targeted a militant command centre at the school but provided no evidence.

Witnesses stated that school managers were meeting with aid group representatives when the strike occurred. The Palestinian branch of Terre des Hommes reported that members of its children's health team were killed but did not specify numbers. "There were no militants. There was no Hamas," said Iftikhar Hamouda, who fled northern Gaza earlier in the war.

Ongoing Tensions

"We headed to tents. They bombed the tents ... In the streets, they bombed us. In the markets, they bombed us. In the schools, they bombed us," she said. "Where should we go?" Hamas' civilian police force largely disappeared from streets after being targeted by Israeli airstrikes but plainclothes security personnel still control most areas.

Hamas continues attacks on Israeli forces over a year after their October 7 assault on southern Israel sparked this war. That attack saw militants storm into Israel, killing around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting about 250 others; around 100 captives are still held, with a third believed dead.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 42,000 Palestinian deaths according to local health authorities; they do not specify how many were fighters but note women and children comprise more than half of fatalities. The war has devastated large parts of Gaza and displaced approximately 90% of its 2.3 million residents multiple times.