BEIRUT, October 31. /TASS/. At least 102 medical workers have been killed and 83 injured in Lebanon in a year due to the escalating situation in the Middle East, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

At least 55 attacks on medical facilities and another 27 on ambulances have also been recorded in Lebanon since October 8, 2023, the document said.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 250 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as retaliation for the aggressive actions taken by Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, launching air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave.

On September 23, Israel launched Operation Northern Arrows against Hezbollah units in Lebanon, during which it is carrying out massive airstrikes against the movement's military facilities. The stated goal is to create secure conditions in Israel's northern border areas so that tens of thousands of residents can return there. As a result of one of the strikes, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was eliminated in Beirut on September 27. The organization confirmed his death and vowed to continue its confrontation with Israel. On the night of October 1, the Israeli army announced the beginning of a ground operation in the border areas in southern Lebanon.