Deadly strikes on Gaza, Lebanon continue as Israel claims pager blasts

Israeli air strikes killed dozens of people in Lebanon and Gaza on Sunday including children, rescuers and authorities said.

Rescuers in the Gaza Strip said 13 children were among 30 people killed by Israeli strikes in the territory's north. The first strike early on Sunday hit a house in Jabalia, killing at least 25 people including 13 children and injuring more than 30, Gaza's civil defense agency said.

The Israeli military said it struck a site in Jabalia in which "terrorists were operating."

"These terrorists posed a threat to IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) troops operating in the area. The details are under review," the Israel military said.

Another strike on the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City killed five people, the civil defense agency said.

Israel's military and Shin Bet internal security agency also said on Sunday that they had killed Muhammad Abu Sakhil, head of operations for the Islamic Jihad militant group, in an air strike in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli security forces described Abu Sakhil as "a significant figure" in Islamic Jihad, responsible for planning and coordinating attacks, including joint operations with Hamas against Israeli civilians and troops in Gaza.

The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, often referred to simply as Islamic Jihad, is a militant group primarily operating in the Gaza Strip. Founded in 1981, it is the second-largest armed group in Gaza after Hamas.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday denounced Israel's military actions in Gaza, calling them "unseen" in history and accusing the country of rendering Gaza uninhabitable.

Speaking during a televised address commemorating the 20th anniversary of the death of former leader Yasser Arafat, Abbas emphasized that Palestinians would not be forcibly displaced.

"Our people cannot be erased," he stated, highlighting that the Palestinian cause is at a critical juncture, with both Gaza and the West Bank facing violence and displacement due to ongoing Israeli attacks.

Abbas reaffirmed the Palestinian commitment to peace, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Also on Sunday, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's construction of military corridors in Gaza, accusing Israel of dividing the territory and exacerbating the suffering of its residents. Israeli media reported that the Israeli army is reorganizing Gaza, creating three military corridors and setting up permanent installations.

The Israeli military has already established the Netzarim Corridor, which separates Gaza into northern and southern zones. The 4-kilometer wide corridor has been transformed into a significant military base, including detention centers and command posts, with plans for two more such corridors, according to Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

Netanyahu okayed Lebanon pager attacks

Lebanon's Ministry of Health said Israeli attacks have killed at least 38 people across Lebanon on Sunday, including 23 in an air attack on the Lebanese village of Almat.

"The Israeli enemy strike on Almat in the Jbeil district killed 23 people, including seven children, in an updated but not final toll," the Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday officially took responsibility for a deadly attack targeting Hezbollah in September, in which thousands of handheld pagers exploded across Lebanon and Syria.

"I wanted to launch the pager operation," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting. "They told me in the cabinet, 'Don't do it; the United States will oppose it.' I didn't listen to them."

It marks the first time an Israeli official has publicly acknowledged Israel's role in the attack, which sharply escalated cross-border hostilities between Israel and Lebanon that have persisted since October 2023.

During Sunday's cabinet meeting, Netanyahu also noted that he had spoken with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump three times in recent days.

"These were very good and important talks, aimed at further strengthening the solid alliance between Israel and the United States," Netanyahu said, adding that they "see eye to eye on the Iranian threat in all its aspects and the danger it poses."

While Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Sunday called for an arms embargo on Israel and the expulsion of its arch-foe from the United Nations.

(With input from agencies)