The death toll rises in Lebanon – many children among the dead

At least 558 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since Monday, Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad said on Tuesday.

Israel claims to be carrying out precision strikes against the Hezbollah militia, but according to Abiad, at least 50 children and 94 women are among the dead.

1,835 people were injured in the massive attacks, and among them there are also many civilians.

Mass flight

The Israeli attacks caused tens of thousands of terrified Lebanese to flee northwards, and in the morning hours on Tuesday several villages near the border with Israel were almost empty of people.

The roads were full of overloaded cars, with suitcases and other belongings strapped to the roof and scared children’s faces peering out of the windows.

– Our worst nightmare is now about to become reality, says Save the Children’s country director in Lebanon, Jennifer Moorehead.

– We see attacks in dozens of cities, families desperately trying to flee with what they can carry, children crying, terrified by the sound of drones and fighter jets, she says.

Save the Children estimates based on UN figures that 345,000 children in southern Lebanon are threatened as a result of the fighting.

Must intervene

Many of the adults who fled still remember the 34-day war in 2006, when some 1,300 people were killed in Israeli attacks, more than 1 million were driven north from southern Lebanon and villages were left in ruins.

Others remembered even further back, to 1996 when Israel, among other things, bombed a UN camp where over 800 civilians had sought refuge. Over 100 were killed in what became known as the Qana Massacre.

The outside world must intervene and put an end to the merciless bloodshed in Gaza and Lebanon, says NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland.

– A further escalation will result in violence and destruction on an enormous scale and increases the risk of a full-scale regional conflict, he warns.

Schools

Many of those who fled north on Monday have sought refuge with relatives in Beirut. Others spent the night in school buildings or in their cars.

According to Lebanon’s crisis minister, 89 temporary receptions have been hastily set up in schools and other large buildings with a capacity of around 26,000 people.

– First I fled to my brother, and when the bombs started falling right outside his house, we fled again, Fatima Chehab tells AP.

Like many others, she and her children have sought refuge in a school in the coastal town of Saida, 60 kilometers north of the border with Israel.

Vulnerable

– Many of those fleeing are already vulnerable, including women, children and refugees who have lived on the run for months, says Moorehead.

The Norwegian Refugee Council tries to the best of its ability to assist the war refugees, but does not know how long they will be able to continue their work.

– All our people are currently accounted for, but we fear that this latest wave of attacks will destroy our ability to help, says Egeland.

– No one expected such a completely unexpected escalation that has hit cities that were considered safe, that were not bombed in previous wars, journalist Nazir Reda tells AFP.

He has sent the children to his home town of Babliyeh in the hope that they will be safer there than in Beirut.

The attacks continue

The Israeli airstrikes continued overnight into Tuesday, and despite international warnings and pleas for a ceasefire, there is no indication that they will stop.

– During the night, the Israeli Air Force hit dozens of Hezbollah targets in several areas in southern Lebanon, it was said in an announcement from the country’s military leadership.

The Israeli army also claims to have attacked “terrorist targets” with artillery and tanks in the area around the villages of Ayta al-Shab and Ramyeh.

Netanyahu assures

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assures that Hezbollah is the target, not the Lebanese people.

– Israel is not at war with you, but with Hezbollah. Hezbollah has used you as human shields for far too long, he said in a video speech on Monday evening.

Hezbollah, for its part, claimed to have attacked several military targets in Israel, including an explosives factory 60 kilometers from the border.

The militia also claimed to have attacked the air base in Megiddo three times during the night, but the extent of the damage is unclear.

Warns Israel

The US warns Israel against sending ground forces into the neighboring country.

– We obviously believe that a ground invasion of Lebanon will not contribute to reducing the tension in the region or will prevent an escalating spiral of violence, a high-ranking source in Washington tells AFP.

The EU also warns Israel, as do countries such as China and Turkey.

– Everyone must do what they can to put an end to this, says EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.