ZIONIST ETHNIC CLEANSING
By Dalal Saoud
Residents and emergency services personnel work at the site of an Israeli military strike near the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in the Jnah District of Beirut, Lebanon, in late October. At least 13 people were killed in the airstrike near what is the largest public hospital in southern Beirut, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said. File photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- More than 4,000 people were killed and 16,600 wounded in nearly 14 months of Israeli air strikes and bombardment on Lebanon as part of a devastating conflict with Hezbollah, Health Minister Firas Abiad said Wednesday.
Most of the casualties occurred after Sept. 15, when Israel escalated the conflict with large-scale attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs and southern and eastern Lebanon.
Abiad said the almost final casualty toll released during a press conference he held in Beirut documented the Israeli war on Lebanon, especially that a large part of the attacks "are considered war crimes and must be presented to establish justice and hold accountable those responsible for these violations" in line with international law.
At least 4,047 people were killed and 16,618 injured. Of those, 790 women and 316 children died, according to the Health Ministry.
What started as an exchange of fire across the border in October 2023 turned into war when Israel expanded its attacks Sept. 17 with an unprecedented, highly sophisticated pager and walkie-talkie attack against Hezbollah members, killing a dozen people and wounding more than 3,000.
It was followed by more than two months of intensive Israeli air strikes, killing Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah and dozens of his top officials and military commanders, as well as destroying the group's bases, headquarters and military and civilian infrastructure.
The relentless Israeli air and ground bombardment led to large destruction of villages, property, hospitals and schools in the targeted areas.
Abiad said 645 people, including 26 children and 40 women, were killed and 1,983 others, among whom were 197 children and 304 women, were injured before September.
He counted 3,402 killed and 14,655 wounded after Sept. 15, with 290 children killed and 1,259 injured, as well as 750 women killed and 2,263 wounded.
Abiad indicated that the actual figures may be higher because "there are numbers of martyrs still under the rubble."
He pointed out that the numbers of child casualties show a significant increase in September, which "confirms that the Israelis targeted civilians" when they expanded their attacks.
The minister said the attacks on the health sector "were not side effects, but rather a feature of the aggression," leaving 222 killed and 330 injured among the medical staff. Sixty-seven hospitals were attacked, with seven forced to close and three partially operating.
The cost of surgeries performed, especially for the wounded by the pager explosions, reached $24 million.
Abiad said the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization are to cooperate with specialized bodies, including Johns Hopkins University in the United States and the American University in Lebanon, to study the effects of the Israeli attacks on the health sector.
By Dalal Saoud
Residents and emergency services personnel work at the site of an Israeli military strike near the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in the Jnah District of Beirut, Lebanon, in late October. At least 13 people were killed in the airstrike near what is the largest public hospital in southern Beirut, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said. File photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- More than 4,000 people were killed and 16,600 wounded in nearly 14 months of Israeli air strikes and bombardment on Lebanon as part of a devastating conflict with Hezbollah, Health Minister Firas Abiad said Wednesday.
Most of the casualties occurred after Sept. 15, when Israel escalated the conflict with large-scale attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs and southern and eastern Lebanon.
Abiad said the almost final casualty toll released during a press conference he held in Beirut documented the Israeli war on Lebanon, especially that a large part of the attacks "are considered war crimes and must be presented to establish justice and hold accountable those responsible for these violations" in line with international law.
At least 4,047 people were killed and 16,618 injured. Of those, 790 women and 316 children died, according to the Health Ministry.
What started as an exchange of fire across the border in October 2023 turned into war when Israel expanded its attacks Sept. 17 with an unprecedented, highly sophisticated pager and walkie-talkie attack against Hezbollah members, killing a dozen people and wounding more than 3,000.
It was followed by more than two months of intensive Israeli air strikes, killing Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah and dozens of his top officials and military commanders, as well as destroying the group's bases, headquarters and military and civilian infrastructure.
The relentless Israeli air and ground bombardment led to large destruction of villages, property, hospitals and schools in the targeted areas.
Abiad said 645 people, including 26 children and 40 women, were killed and 1,983 others, among whom were 197 children and 304 women, were injured before September.
He counted 3,402 killed and 14,655 wounded after Sept. 15, with 290 children killed and 1,259 injured, as well as 750 women killed and 2,263 wounded.
Abiad indicated that the actual figures may be higher because "there are numbers of martyrs still under the rubble."
He pointed out that the numbers of child casualties show a significant increase in September, which "confirms that the Israelis targeted civilians" when they expanded their attacks.
The minister said the attacks on the health sector "were not side effects, but rather a feature of the aggression," leaving 222 killed and 330 injured among the medical staff. Sixty-seven hospitals were attacked, with seven forced to close and three partially operating.
The cost of surgeries performed, especially for the wounded by the pager explosions, reached $24 million.
Abiad said the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization are to cooperate with specialized bodies, including Johns Hopkins University in the United States and the American University in Lebanon, to study the effects of the Israeli attacks on the health sector.
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