By Harun Nasrullah
LONDON, (The Muslim News): Israeli attacks killed three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy and a medical student, in the Gaza Strip on Friday, as Lebanon’s army commander warned that Israel posed the greatest threat to his country amid continued attacks that have killed 8,957 people since October 2023.
The latest deaths in Gaza bring the reported toll from Israel’s war since October 7, 2023, to 74,620 Palestinians killed and 175,925 injured, according to health authorities. At least 1,602 Palestinians have also been killed and 5,799 injured in Israeli attacks since the Gaza ceasefire took effect in October 2025.
A 15-year-old boy, identified by Palestinian medical sources as Mohammed Nidal Barbakh, was shot by Israeli forces in the Bir 19 area of al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, and later died from his injuries, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
In Gaza City, Nabil Hamad died from injuries sustained several days earlier in an Israeli attack on the al-Blakhiyah area of al-Shati refugee camp, a medical source at al-Shifa Hospital told Anadolu Agency.
Sara Abu Jiyab, a resident of al-Shati camp and a medical student at the Islamic University of Gaza, also succumbed to injuries sustained in an earlier Israeli airstrike targeting the university campus in late October.
Separately, Israeli forces opened heavy fire towards al-Mawasi, northwest of Rafah, with bullets reaching tents sheltering displaced Palestinians, witnesses said.
The attacks came amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect in October 2025.
Thousands victims remain trapped beneath collapsed buildings or in areas inaccessible to ambulance and rescue teams.
Lebanon warns of Israeli threat
In Lebanon, Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal said Israel’s continued illegal occupation of Lebanese territory was the country’s greatest security threat, demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces and urging his troops to remain prepared for all possible scenarios.
“The Israeli occupation must withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory, because its continued presence is the fundamental problem and the greatest threat facing our country,” Haykal said.
He made the remarks during a meeting with senior military officials, unit commanders and officers at the Defence Ministry in Yarzeh, east of Beirut, according to a Lebanese army statement.
Haykal said the army was working to implement decisions taken by the political leadership and extend state authority across all Lebanese territory.
He urged military personnel to maintain operational readiness and prepare for all eventualities without relying on changes in regional or international circumstances.
The warning came as Israeli forces continued attacks and incursions across southern Lebanon, despite a US-mediated framework agreement signed by Beirut and Tel Aviv on June 26, 2026.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli forces opened fire near residents harvesting olives on the outskirts of Deir Mimas in the Marjayoun district on Friday, forcing them to flee.
An Israeli patrol advanced from Kfar Kila towards the town, subsequently blocking entry and exit and detaining a resident before taking him to an undisclosed location.
Further Israeli military activity was reported across the districts of Marjayoun, Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil and Tyre.
In Marjayoun, Israeli military vehicles advanced towards the Naba Ibl al-Saqi area near Khiam, accompanied by heavy machine-gun fire.
The town of Qantara came under artillery and machine-gun fire, while Israeli forces also carried out military movements and demolition operations. Artillery shelling struck Wadi al-Saluqi.
In Nabatieh, the outskirts of Mayfadoun came under intermittent artillery fire.
Further demolitions were reported on the outskirts of Beit Yahoun towards Kounine in the Tyre district and in al-Tiri in the Bint Jbeil district.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks since March 2, 2026, had killed 4,390 people and injured 12,429 as of November 5.
The cumulative toll from Israeli attacks since October 8, 2023, stood at 8,957 killed and 30,665 injured.
Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, including positions held for decades and territory seized during the 2023–2024 war, when its ground forces advanced approximately 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory.
UNIFIL’s future in Lebanon
Haykal also stressed the importance of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), describing it as an essential record of the conflict and a witness to Israeli violations.
He said the peacekeeping mission monitored the implementation of international resolutions and documented Israeli attacks, demonstrating the importance of its continued presence.
UNIFIL has operated in southern Lebanon since 1978, with its mandate expanded following the 2006 war under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Its responsibilities include monitoring the cessation of hostilities, supporting the Lebanese army’s deployment south of the Litani River and coordinating between Lebanese and Israeli forces.
However, the Security Council has decided that UNIFIL’s mandate will end on December 31, 2026, with an orderly drawdown and withdrawal of personnel to take place over the following year.
The June 26 framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese army and its assumption of security responsibilities.
Continued Israeli military operations and the failure to complete the withdrawal have raised concerns over the agreement’s implementation.
Fears of renewed regional conflict
The latest developments have heightened concerns about a possible resumption of military confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, with potential consequences for Lebanon.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that the Israeli military was preparing for a possible resumption of fighting in Lebanon if hostilities with Iran reignited.
The newspaper said Israeli forces were continuing operations along the Lebanese border, reinforcing military positions and updating operational plans ahead of winter.
It reported that Israel’s security establishment was awaiting a US decision on whether to resume military operations against Iran.
According to the newspaper, the Israeli military had not detected unusual signs of increased US military preparations in the region, apart from the reinforcement of American forces in southern Israel and naval movements in the Arabian Sea.
The report also highlighted differences between Washington and Tel Aviv over the objectives of any renewed military campaign against Iran.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly favours overthrowing the Iranian government, some US officials favour a shorter, intensive military operation aimed at weakening Tehran and forcing it to negotiate from a disadvantaged position.
Washington and Tehran remain divided over the conditions for resuming negotiations. The United States is demanding concessions on Iran’s nuclear programme, while Tehran is seeking the removal of US sanctions, the release of frozen assets and permission to resume oil exports.
Yedioth Ahronoth suggested that an agreement with Iran could also provide US President Donald Trump with a political achievement following Republican losses in Tuesday’s congressional midterm elections.
The reported preparations for renewed fighting, alongside continued Israeli attacks in Gaza and Lebanon, underscore the fragility of existing ceasefire arrangements and the risk of a wider regional confrontation.
[Photo: Young girls live inside the partially repaired lower-floor dormitory rooms of Tibnin Orphanage in Tibnin, Nabatieh Governorate, South Lebanon on November 02, 2026. Built in the 1990s with support from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the orphanage suffered heavy damage from Israeli airstrikes. Currently housing around 30 young girls who frequently wake up in fear to the sound of night explosions, the facility has adapted a few lower-floor rooms into living areas with renewed assistance from UNIFIL following the ceasefire. Photojournalist: Houssam Shbaro/AA]
