Tragic Outcomes of Ongoing Conflict in Lebanon and Gaza
In a devastating escalation of violence in the region, two-year-old Ali Khalifa was found alive after being buried under rubble for 14 hours following an Israeli airstrike in Sarafand, Lebanon. His family, tragically, did not survive the attack, which occurred on September 29 and resulted in the deaths of 15 people, including Ali's parents, sister, and two grandmothers. Rescuers had nearly lost hope of finding any survivors when Ali was discovered by a bulldozer, barely breathing. He is currently in an artificial coma in Saida, awaiting surgery and a prosthetic fitting for the amputation of his right hand. His uncle, Houssein Khalifa, expressed the profound psychological impact on the family, which is echoed in the experiences of other survivors like Zainab, who lost her entire family in the same strike.
As the conflict intensifies, the Israeli military has reported targeting over 50 sites in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, citing military structures and weapons depots as objectives. In a separate incident, the Civil Defense in Gaza reported 14 deaths from two Israeli airstrikes, one of which hit a school sheltering displaced persons. The strikes in Gaza have left a significant number of casualties, with reports indicating over 43,500 Palestinians killed since the conflict escalated on October 7, 2023. These tragic events illustrate the severe humanitarian crisis unfolding in both Lebanon and Gaza, with families torn apart and communities devastated by relentless violence.
