By Abdul Adil
London, (The Muslim News): At least 48 civilians and seven paramedics were killed in southern Lebanon over a 48-hour period as Israeli forces intensified attacks despite an ongoing US-mediated ceasefire, according to Lebanese health officials and state media.
The latest strikes targeted residential areas, medical teams and health facilities across southern Lebanon, leaving dozens more injured and causing extensive destruction.
Hospital damaged, medical staff injured
On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes struck near Hiram Hospital in the Tyre district, injuring at least 25 medical, nursing and administrative staff members, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said the strikes caused “various injuries” among hospital workers and inflicted “severe damage” on the facility.
“This is the second time in less than two months that the hospital has been exposed to such dangers due to repeated Israeli attacks,” the ministry said, accusing Israel of violating international humanitarian law protecting medical facilities.
A paramedic, Mohammed Ali Ghandour, was also killed in Tyre on Saturday.
Deadly strikes across southern Lebanon
On Sunday alone, at least 18 people were killed and several others wounded in Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, 11 people were killed and nine injured in an airstrike on Seir al-Gharbiyeh in Nabatieh governorate.
Additional strikes were reported in several towns:
In Bazouriyeh, near Tyre, one person was killed and two injured after a fighter jet strike.
In Arabsalim, an Israeli drone strike killed a young man.
In Toura, a strike on a residential home killed a woman and injured two others.
In Doueir, a 50-year-old farmer was killed in a drone attack.
In Abba and Jebchit, further Israeli strikes were reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
A paramedic with the Islamic Health Organization was also killed after a civil defense team came under Israeli fire while inspecting the site of an earlier strike in Arabsalim.
Israeli forces later ordered residents of six southern Lebanese villages — Kfarsir, Seir al-Gharbiyeh, Zrariyeh, Ansar, Mazraat Kawthariyet El Riz and Kharayeb — to evacuate ahead of planned attacks.
Civilian casualties mount
Saturday’s attacks had already left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured.
Among the dead were five people, including children, killed when an Israeli strike hit a residential building in Seir al-Gharbiya in Nabatieh district.
Another strike targeting an orchard in the Baqbouq area north of Tyre killed five people and injured two others. Rescue teams said the body of a woman remained trapped under rubble because of the intensity of the bombardment.
In Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, four people were killed after an overnight strike completely destroyed a house.
A separate drone strike on the road between Ain Baal and Housh killed another civilian.
Ceasefire under strain
The attacks come despite a ceasefire agreement mediated by the United States that was intended to remain in effect until early July.
According to Lebanese officials, more than 3,100 people have been killed, over 9,500 injured and around 1.6 million displaced since Israeli attacks escalated in March.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said one Israeli soldier was killed and two others wounded in northern Israel after an explosive-laden drone launched from Lebanon struck the area. The soldier was identified as 23-year-old Noam Hamburger.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that the soldier died when the drone exploded.
Gaza violence continues as Israel kills five Palestinians
Israeli attacks also continued across Gaza on Sunday, where five Palestinians, including three members of the same family, were killed in separate incidents.
Medical sources said one Palestinian was shot dead in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, while an airstrike on a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp killed a couple and their child.
A child also died from injuries sustained in an earlier strike targeting a police headquarters in northwestern Gaza.
Israeli naval forces reportedly fired on fishing boats off Gaza City’s coast, injuring a fisherman, while another Palestinian was wounded by shrapnel from shelling near Al-Sudaniya.
Local sources also reported Israeli demolition operations and artillery shelling in northern Gaza and east of Khan Younis.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 883 people have been killed and over 2,648 injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire announced on Oct. 10, 2025.
Raids and settler attacks in the West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces raided the towns of Dura near Hebron and Beit Fajjar south of Bethlehem late Sunday, according to witnesses and Palestinian media.
Residents said Israeli troops forced shops to close during peak Eid al-Adha shopping hours, fired tear gas and assaulted several young men after blindfolding and detaining them.
Separately, five Palestinians were injured in attacks by Israeli settlers in Hebron and Bethlehem governorates on Saturday.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said a woman was wounded with a sharp object in Bani Na’im, while two others were assaulted in the Khala’il al-Luz area near Bethlehem.
In Masafer Yatta, settlers attacked the home of a Palestinian family, injuring two residents, including one man who suffered facial injuries and another who sustained a head wound.
According to Palestinian officials, attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since October 2023 have killed 1,162 Palestinians, injured more than 12,000 and led to nearly 23,000 arrests.
Oman and Iran discuss Strait of Hormuz
Separately, Omani and Iranian officials met in Muscat on Sunday to discuss freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional developments.
The talks included discussions on maritime security, trade routes and ongoing diplomatic efforts related to Iranian-US negotiations.
Iranian media outlet Tasnim reported that a potential understanding between Tehran and Washington could include efforts to end regional hostilities, including Israeli attacks in Lebanon, alongside partial sanctions relief for Iran’s oil sector.
The report also suggested that shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz could gradually return to pre-war levels within 30 days if an agreement is finalized.
[Photo: Family members carry photos of their dear ones at the funeral ceremony of ambulance crew, who were killed in an airstrike despite the ceasefire while assisting the wounded in the town of Deir Qanoun en-Nahr, in Tyre, Lebanon on May 23, 2026. Photojournalist: Ahmad Kaddoura/AA]
