Govt figures show nearly 9,000 killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since Oct 2023

Nearly 9,000 people have been killed and more than 30,000 injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since October 2023, according to figures released by Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.

The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that Israeli attacks between October 2023 and September 2026 had killed 8,920 people and wounded 30,595 others, Maktoob Media reported.

Of the total, 4,358 people were killed and 12,359 injured after March 2, when Israel significantly intensified its military campaign in Lebanon following a Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel. An Israeli strike on Beirut on the same day killed 31 people.

A Health Ministry report released Wednesday also said attacks on ambulance crews since March 2 had resulted in the deaths of 135 healthcare workers. The report documented 179 attacks targeting ambulance teams during the period.

The conflict has also forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. UN refugee agency UNHCR estimates showed that around 360,000 people remained displaced in Lebanon in August as a result of Israeli military operations, with at least 22,000 staying in collective shelters.

The figures were released as Israeli military operations continued in southern Lebanon despite two US-brokered ceasefire agreements reached in June.

Israel has maintained troops in southern Lebanon since March, when it announced the creation of what it described as a buffer zone.