The funeral of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut drew thousands of mourners. Simultaneously, nine Hezbollah members were killed in Israeli strikes along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
The mourners gathered at the Martyrs Cemetery outside the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut to pay their final respects to al-Arouri. The funeral procession drew people from various regions.
Reports suggest that Saleh al-Arouri’s assassination was carried out in a manner resembling Israeli long-distance targeted eliminations. The strike that killed al-Arouri and his companions hit a second-floor apartment flanked by eight-storey buildings. Analysts have drawn parallels with the targeted killing of Ahmad Yassin, a Hamas founder, in 2004, noting that advancements in technology now allow such operations to be conducted with smaller, quieter unmanned drones.
The operation in Beirut is believed to have utilised an Israeli-built system, possibly a combination of the Hermes drone and Nimrod missile. The use of unmanned drones not only makes these operations more covert but also harder to detect due to reduced visibility and noise levels.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reports that 125 Palestinians have been killed and 318 injured in Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip within 24 hours. The Israeli bombing of a house belonging to the Salah family west of Khan Younis killed at least 14 individuals and caused injuries to several others.
Since 7 October, 22,438 Palestinians have been killed and 57,614 wounded in Israeli attacks, according to official reports. In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army recently withdrew from the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem after a 40-hour raid. The operation resulted in the arrest and interrogation of hundreds of Palestinian men, with at least 13 individuals reportedly suffering broken bones after being beaten by Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues, with reports indicating a concentrated focus on the middle and southern parts of the territory. Global media highlighted the deployment of Israeli snipers on Salah al-Din road, particularly near the villages of al-Musaddar and Zawaydah, critical links between the middle and southern parts of Gaza.
The Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza experiences flooding caused by heavy rains and a lack of functioning drainage and sewage systems. Concerns have been raised over the potential outbreak of diseases and infections in Gaza, as municipal services have been blocked by previous Israeli attacks.
