West Asia crisis updates: Israeli strikes kill 19 in Gaza, 11 in Beirut

The crisis in West Asia continues to intensify. On Saturday (Nov 23), Israeli strikes reportedly killed 19 people in the Gaza Strip and 11 people in Beirut, Lebanon. A Gaza's civil defence agency spokesperson told the news agency AFP that 40 others were injured in Saturday's strikes in the Palestinian territory.

"Nineteen people were killed and more than 40 others wounded in three massacres caused by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip between midnight and this morning as well as by tank fire in Rafah in the territory's south," the spokesperson of Gaza's civil defence said.

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Meanwhile, the strikes in Beirut injured 63 people. 

No evacuation warning from Israel for Beirut

"The Israeli enemy strike on Basta al-Fawqa in Beirut killed 11 people, including a large amount of body parts that are being identified. The final death toll will be determined after DNA tests are carried out," the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement. 

Citing state media, AFP reported that rescuers were seen removing rubble in Al-Mamoun Street in the Basta (neighbourhood), where Israeli enemy aircraft targeted an eight-story building at dawn, destroying it, and leaving a large number of people dead and wounded. 

State media also said that Saturday's strikes were the second time the Basta district had been targeted since the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon began. 

Israel and Iran-aligned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have exchanged fire for over a year in parallel with the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023. 

Following a year of cross-border exchanges, Israel dramatically escalated its air campaign in Lebanon in September and later sent ground troops into southern Lebanon to fight Hezbollah.

'Hospitals in Gaza only have two days of fuel left'

On Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said that hospitals in Gaza had only two days of fuel left before they must restrict services.

Marwan al-Hams, director of Gaza's field hospitals, told reporters all hospitals in the Palestinian territory "will stop working or reduce their services within 48 hours due to the occupation's (Israel's) obstruction of fuel entry."

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This warning came a day after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving  Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq and non-state actors like Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.