Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 7 as people flee southern Lebanon day after nearly 500 killed

Palestinian officials say Israeli strikes killed at least seven people in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis on Tuesday morning. At least 15 others, including women and children, were wounded in the attacks, they said.

The Israeli military says it will do “whatever it takes” to drive Hezbollah away from Lebanon’s border with Israel.

The two countries have been shooting at each other since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas.

On Monday, Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, killing nearly 500 people and wounding more than 1,600 others.

Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, blocking the highway to Beirut in the largest exodus since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

It is a staggering toll in one day for a country still grappling with the deadly attack on communications equipment the week before.

Lebanon blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel did not confirm or deny its responsibility.

Hezbollah fired more than 100 projectiles into Israel on Monday, the military said, firing deep into Israel, including around the northern city of Haifa and parts of the occupied West Bank.

Most of the rockets were intercepted, but two people were lightly injured by falling shrapnel in northern Israel.

Here’s the latest news:

Israeli strikes kill at least 7 in Khan Younis

DEIR-AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials say Israeli strikes early Tuesday morning in the southern town of Khan Younis killed at least seven people.

At least 15 others, including women and children, were injured in the attacks, they said.

According to the Civil Defense, five people were among the dead who were killed in an attack on the Abu Harb family home in the Qizan al-Najjar neighborhood.

At least ten others were also injured in the strike, the ministry said.

Another attack took place at a house in the Tahlia district of Khan Younis, killing at least two people and wounding five others, the rescue service said.

The casualties of both attacks have been confirmed in hospital records in Khan Younis.

Israel says it wants to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible, but rarely comments on individual attacks.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.

It does not say how many fighters there were, but more than half were women and children.

The war began when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250.

About 100 prisoners are still being held in Gaza, and a third of them are believed to be dead.

United Arab Emirates Airlines Cancel Flights to Lebanon

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Airlines in the United Arab Emirates, a major hub for east-west travel, canceled flights to Lebanon on Tuesday due to ongoing border shelling between Israel and Hezbollah.

Long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad cancelled flights, as did budget carrier FlyDubai.

The United Arab Emirates, which signed a diplomatic recognition agreement with Israel in 2020, is home to a large Lebanese population.