A drone strike was launched towards the house of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday, as regional tensions escalate after the death of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar.
Meanwhile, the UN has warned that one million children in Gaza are living “hell on Earth” as the ongoing Israeli operations are making the humanitarian situation worse day-by-day.
Targeting Netanyahu’s House
The Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesperson said in a statement that a drone was launched from Lebanon towards Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea on Saturday morning, reported the Associated Press (AP).
The incoming drone set off warning Sirens across Israel. The statement added that neither Netanyahu nor his wife were home at the time of the attack and there were no casualties.
This was not the first time that the Israeli Prime Minister had been targeted. In September, the Iranian-backed Houthis launched a ballistic missile toward Ben Gurion Airport while Netanyahu’s plane was landing. However, the missile was intercepted.
Fierce Fighting
The war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has intensified over the recent weeks. On Friday, the Iranian-backed group said it would take the fighting to a new phase by using more targeted missiles and exploding drones to target Israel. The Israeli military has begun a ground incursion in Lebanon in early October, following the killing of Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in late September.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had detected 55 projectiles fired at northern Israel from Lebanon, intercepting some of them with no reports of casualties. Furthermore, Israel announced it killed Hezbollah’s deputy commander in the southern town of Bint Jbeil, Nasser Rashid, who was responsible for supervising attacks against Israel.
The Death of Sinwar
On Thursday, Israel confirmed it had killed Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, after a year of fighting in Gaza. Sinwar is believed to be the architect of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostages, and led to the ongoing war on Gaza. Sinwar was on the top of Israel’s most wanted list.
The war on Gaza has claimed the lives of 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It has also displaced 90% of the Strip’s population and caused widespread destructions, making the enclave almost uninhabitable.
Sinwar was killed on Wednesday in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military announced on Thursday. His body was identified after carrying out DNA and other tests. Hamas officially confirmed its leader’s death on Friday.
No End to War
After Sinwar’s death, the Israeli Prime Minister said that Israel will not halt the fighting until it returns all of its hostages from Gaza. “Today we have settled the score. Today evil has been dealt a blow but our task has still not been completed,” Netanyahu said in a recorded video statement.
On the other hand, Hamas said that it would not release the hostages until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza and Israeli troops completely withdraw from the Strip.
Dire Humanitarian Situation
On Friday, the spokesperson of the United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF), James Elder, warned that Gaza has become a real embodiment of “hell on Earth” for its one million children, adding that the daily airstrikes and military operations are making the situation worse. He stressed the need of immediate ceasefire to alleviate humanitarian sufferings.
“UNICEF and our UN colleagues continue to plea for a long-term sustainable ceasefire, now ceasefires – plural – when you talk about the broader region,” Elder said.
