Lebanon’s death toll passes 3,000 in 13-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, health ministry says

BEIRUT (AP) — The 13-month war between Israel and Hezbollah has killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon, the country’s health ministry said Monday, more than double the number of deaths since their last major war two decades ago.

The war shows no signs of ending, and Israel has said it is carrying out new operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon and parts of Syria, while Hezbollah continues to launch dozens of missiles into northern Israel.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both affiliated with Iran.

For almost a year, the conflict was largely confined to areas along the Israel-Lebanon border. The conflict escalated dramatically on September 23 with heavy Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon and on the southern suburbs of Beirut, killing hundreds and displacing nearly 1.2 million people.

Israel began a ground invasion of southern Lebanon on October 1, causing widespread destruction in border villages but making little progress on the ground in Lebanon. Israel says it is destroying Hezbollah’s weapons and command centers near the border, including an extensive tunnel system built by Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said attacks on Sunday killed 16 people and injured 90, bringing the death toll to 3,002. At least 13,492 have been injured. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and Hezbollah fighters in its toll. Israel claimed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters were killed.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, 72 people have been killed in Israel by Hezbollah attacks, including 30 soldiers. More than 60,000 people have been driven from their homes.

Also on Monday, Israel announced it had terminated the agreement that would facilitate the work of the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza.

It was the first step in implementing legislation passed last week that would cut ties with the agency, which Israel says is infiltrated by Hamas, and prevent it from operating in Israel.

The agency, known as UNRWA, denies the allegations and says it is taking measures to ensure its neutrality.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that it has notified the UN of the cancellation of a 1967 agreement that facilitates UNRWA’s work. According to the report, UNRWA is ‘part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution’.

Israel controls all access to Gaza, and aid groups have warned that the legislation could seriously hamper UNRWA’s work, creating further obstacles to tackling a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel says UNRWA is responsible for only 13% of the aid entering Gaza, and says other U.N. agencies and aid groups can fill the gap. But aid groups say UNRWA is essential, and the agency says Israeli figures do not take into account the key role it plays in coordinating aid deliveries.

“Without UNRWA coordination, without UNRWA logistics platforms… no UN agency could operate at the scale required,” said Jonathan Fowler, a spokesman for the agency.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US was clear in its opposition to the legislation, and was deeply concerned about the insufficient number of aid trucks entering Gaza. “We have serious concerns about the implications of its full implementation, as well as our concerns about the underlying humanitarian situation in Gaza, even before Israel has passed the legislation,” he told reporters in Washington on Monday.

The agency provides education, health care and other basic services to Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation and their descendants, who now number nearly six million across the region. Refugee families make up the majority of Gaza’s population.

The rest of the legislation will come into force in three months.