Israeli strike kills an elite Hezbollah leader in Lebanon

Palestinian gather around a car wreck following Israeli bombardment in Rafah. Pic/AP

An Israeli airstrike killed an elite Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon on Monday, the latest in an escalating exchange of strikes along the border that have raised fears of another Mideast war even as the fighting in Gaza exacts a mounting toll on civilians.

The strike on an SUV killed Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil, according to a Lebanese security official. Tawil is the most senior militant in the armed group to have been killed since Hamas' October 7 attack into southern Israel. Meanwhile, fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants near the main hospital in central Gaza has caused medics, patients and displaced people to flee, witnesses said Monday.

The withdrawal by Doctors Without Borders and other aid groups from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah spread panic among people sheltering there and led many to leave for the southern part of the besieged territory.

Israel says it has largely concluded major operations in northern Gaza and is now focusing on the central region and the southern city of Khan Younis. Israeli officials have said the fighting will continue for many more months as the army seeks to dismantle Hamas and return scores of hostages taken during the militant group's October 7 attack. Israel assault in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people so far.

23,000
Approx no of Palestinians killed since Oct 7

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