Gaza Conflict November 2024 Report
On November 17, Israel launched its first airstrike in over a month, targeting a building in central Beirut associated with the Arab Socialist Baath Party, resulting in the death of Hezbollah’s chief spokesman, Mohammed Afif. This strike, part of an escalation in military operations since September, coincided with ongoing discussions among Lebanese officials about a potential U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
In addition to the Beirut attack, Israeli forces conducted operations in Gaza, leading to multiple casualties. The conflict has resulted in significant loss of life on both sides, with over 3,400 deaths reported in Lebanon and at least 76 fatalities in Israel due to Hezbollah’s attacks. Amidst the violence, mass protests have erupted in Israel over the government’s handling of the hostage crisis involving Hamas, with demonstrators demanding a ceasefire and the safe return of hostages.
Key Concepts
- Israel conducted its first airstrike in over a month, targeting Beirut and killing Hezbollah’s chief spokesman, Mohammed Afif.
- The airstrike in Beirut followed a series of intensified Israeli military operations since September.
- Israeli forces also targeted Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 12 individuals.
- The Beirut airstrike led to panic among residents, prompting evacuations in the area.
- Hezbollah has ramped up its attacks on Israel, launching daily projectiles that have reached central cities like Haifa.
- The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 3,400 deaths and more than 1.2 million displaced individuals in Lebanon.
- On the Israeli side, Hezbollah’s attacks have caused at least 76 fatalities, including military personnel.
- Israeli police arrested three suspects linked to an attack involving flares at Prime Minister Netanyahu’s residence.
- Mass protests in Israel are criticizing Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage crisis in Gaza, where Hamas holds around 100 hostages.
- Israeli military actions in Gaza have led to multiple casualties, including deaths reported at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Israel launched its first airstrike in more than a month on the central area of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday (November 17), killing Hezbollah’s chief spokesman, while Palestinian medical officials said Israel had earlier attacked Gaza, killing 12 people.
A Hezbollah official who requested anonymity said Mohammed Afif was killed in the Beirut airstrike. He has been particularly prominent since Israel stepped up its attacks on Lebanon in September. Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s longtime leader, was also killed in Israeli airstrikes before.
People fled the community after the attack, which came without warning. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. The military again asked residents of more than a dozen villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate on Sunday, while ground forces advanced further north.
A building belonging to the Arab Socialist Baath Party in downtown Beirut was attacked, killing Afif. An Associated Press photographer saw four bodies and four injured people at the scene.
The attack came after Israeli warplanes bombed a southern suburb of Beirut and the military warned people to evacuate several buildings. Hezbollah has a strong presence in Dahiyeh, and the attack came as Lebanese officials were considering a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal.
The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning on X about an hour before the attack. Local media reported that church bells in and around the area rang to warn residents. No casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to launch dozens of projectiles into Israel every day and has expanded its range to central Israel. The northern city of Haifa was hit by rockets on Saturday, damaging a synagogue and injuring two civilians.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said more than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon’s fighting with Israel, and more than 1.2 million have been forced to flee their homes. It is unclear how many of the dead are Hezbollah fighters.
On the Israeli side, Hezbollah airstrikes have killed at least 76 people, including 31 servicemen, and forced about 60,000 people to flee northern communities.
Israeli police meanwhile said they arrested three suspects after two flares were fired at the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coastal city of Caesarea.
Netanyahu and his family were not at home at the time of the attack, authorities said, and there were no casualties. Netanyahu and his family were also not at home when a drone launched by Hezbollah struck the residence last month.
Police did not release details about the suspects, but officials said domestic political critics of Netanyahu were responsible. Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the incident and warned against “an escalation of violence in the public sphere.”
Months of mass protests have slammed Netanyahu’s handling of the current hostage crisis in Gaza. Hamas is believed to be holding about 100 people captured during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and about 35 are believed to have died.
Israelis rallied again in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to demand a ceasefire and the repatriation of the hostages.
Israel attacked Gaza on Sunday, killing six people in Nusserat and four in Bureij, two refugee camps in central Gaza that have been set up since Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah said two more people were killed in the attack on the main north-south highway in Gaza and that the hospital received all 12 bodies.
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