Beirut (AFP) – Emergency services are on the scene in the aftermath of a deadly strike that Hamas and security officials in Lebanon say killed the Palestinian militant group’s deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri, in the Al-Musharrafiya area, in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7, 2023 resulted in the death of around 1,140 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on latest official Israeli figures. The Hamas militants, whose movement has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, also took around 250 hostages, 129 of whom remain in captivity, according to Israeli figures. Israel has since begun a relentless bombardment and ground offensive that has killed at least 22,185 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
