Almost immediately after Hamas militants kidnapped 250 Israelis and killed 1200 people last October, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been actively bombing Gaza, causing the deaths of more than 41,200 to date, including more than 11,000 children.
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has also been firing at Israel, saying it would only stop once Israel ceased its offensive against Gaza. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated dramatically in the past few weeks, with Israel’s offensive killing more than 1,000 people in Lebanon.
According to officials, over 800 Hezbollah fighters and Lebanese civilians have been killed since September 23, while the UN estimates more than 90,000 people have been displaced.
On September 17, thousands of pagers exploded simultaneously across Lebanon and Syria, killing at least 20 people, including children, and injuring 4,000. The following day, more explosions occurred, this time when walkie-talkies detonated, killing 14 and injuring more than 450.
Two days after, the Israeli military launched an airstrike on a residential building in a Beirut, killing 37 innocent civilians. Dozens of Hezbollah members were among the dead, including its military commander, Ibrahim Aqil.
On September 23, Israel launched a further 1,300 airstrikes, killing 558 people and wounding more than 1,800, according to Lebanon’s ministry of health. The IDF’s chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, said his military was preparing for the “next phases” in Lebanon, and that they “are targeting combat infrastructure that Hezbollah has been building for the past 20 years,” he said.
Last Friday, Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon killed more than 25 people, including women and children. The following day, both Israel and Hezbollah confirmed that Hezbollah’s long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed in one of the airstrikes.
On the same day, Israeli military carried out dozens of strikes across southern Lebanon, targeting its opponent’s rocket launchers and military infrastructure. According to them, it was retaliating after a series of rockets it said Hezbollah had fired in the direction of the northern Israeli city of Tiberias.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Netanyahu had personally approved the strike, publishing a photograph of Netanyahu with his military secretary and chief of staff on the phone in a hotel in New York. Last week, Netanyahu told the UN general assembly in a fiery speech that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue and that his nation is “winning” on multiple fronts.”
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Najib Mikati has been working with the commander of the Lebanese armed forces, Joseph Aoun to mobilise emergency efforts.
“This new aggression demonstrates that the Israeli enemy is mocking all the international appeals in favour of a ceasefire from the international community,” Mikati said in a statement from his office.
Three days of national mourning are set to begin in Lebanon from today.
In the past 24 hours, a further 105 people have been killed in Lebanon, as the Israeli army announced new strikes on the Bekaa Valley in the east. At least three people were killed after an Israeli airstrike hit an Islamic Health Authority centre in southern Lebanon.
Since last Monday, one hospital has admitted 400 casualties of Israeli strikes. According to some media, Israeli forces may be preparing for a ground invasion of Lebanon.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR believes that more than 70,000 people have now fled Lebanon.
How has Australia responded?
Over the weekend, thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered across multiple cities to mark a National Day of Action for Gaza, organised by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network.
In Sydney, demonstrators stood in Town Hall square, chanting “from Lebanon to Palestine, occupation is a crime”.
The president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Nasser Mashni, described the escalation of violence in the Middle East as “relentless horror” and said his community were enduring a “continued hurt”.
“We’re not sure why our children, our women, our men don’t matter, why the government won’t speak up in our favour and demand that Israel stops,” Mashni said. “It’s past time for diplomatic levers to be pulled.”
In Melbourne, protesters marched through the city, carrying the flags of Palestine and Lebanon. A small group of people carrying Hezbollah flags and holding what appeared to be framed images of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah were also present — a commonwealth offence according to Victoria Police.
“(We) support the right to protest peacefully and had a visible presence at the protest to ensure public safety,” it said in a statement. “Appropriate referrals will be made to Australian Federal Police as the lead agency concerning prohibited symbols.”
A spokesperson said “The criminal code sets out very specific elements that must be met in order to charge an individual with a terrorism offence.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong condemned the group, writing on X: “We condemn any indication of support for a terrorist organisation such as Hizballah. It not only threatens national security, but fuels fear and division in our communities. All of us – including every political leader – must stand together to reject terrorism and extremism.”
On Sunday, Minister Wong said, “We’ve seen so much violence in the Middle East. The continued escalation, the continued retribution, that continued cycle of violence, ultimately that will not bring peace and it will not bring security.”
Addressing the UN General Assembly last Friday, Wong criticised the “entrenched violence” unfolding in Lebanon and Gaza.
“Brutal, degrading conflict ingraining hatred and division; pushing peace into the unseeable distance; and pulling neighbours into an endless, reflexive cycle of blame and retaliation,” she said.
In an interview with the media shortly after her speech, Wong said Australia was still calling for a negotiated ceasefire.
“The continued retribution … will not bring peace and it will not bring security, which is why Australia and others, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and diplomacy to try and resolve this,” she said.
“Because we have seen so many people, so many people die.”
Minister Wong also announced a $2 million humanitarian package to assist those affected in Lebanon. The funding will support the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide medical assistance and address nutrition, education and water sanitation requirements for displaced people in southern Lebanon.
“This is a moment of great distress for the Lebanese people,” Minister Wong said in a statement announcing the funding: “…funding from Australia will support civilians, including women and children, who are paying the highest price in this conflict.”