Beirut, Apr 17 (UNI) Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed nearly 2,300 people since early March, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, as the two countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire amid the IDF’s ongoing war with Hezbollah, which has extracted a massive civilian toll.
In a preliminary count released on the first day of the truce, the ministry said at least 2,294 people have been killed, though it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
As per the figures released, the casualties included over 274 women, 177 children, and 100 health workers and rescuers, with officials cautioning that this number is only an initial count, and that the actual death toll is likely to be far higher, as whole areas have been reduced to rubble, making damage assessment difficult.
“The final toll of the aggression will be made after the rubble has been cleared, the martyrs have been recovered, DNA tests have been completed, and the identities of their owners have been determined,” the health ministry said.
Even as the ceasefire took effect on Friday, with both nations affirming their commitment to honouring it, that has not necessarily put violence to a total stop, with Lebanese state media reporting that an Israeli strike on a motorcycle in the south killed one person on Friday.
Under the terms of the truce, Israel reserves the right to continue targeting Iran-backed militant group to prevent “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”
The fighting erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the outset of the wider regional war.
Since then, the conflict has drawn in large-scale Israeli air and ground operations across Lebanon, displacing large numbers of civilians and leaving swathes of areas in ruins.
