Lebanese Army, ICRC to try and retrieve civilians, Houla child martyr
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The Israeli occupation is imposing a de facto blockade on civilians in the southern town of Houla as it prevents rescue efforts.
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Child martyr Khadija Atwi that was shot by the Israeli occupation forces in Houla, Southern Lebanon on Sunday 17 February, 2025 (Social media)
A joint operation involving the Lebanese Army, the Red Cross, and UNIFIL is set to enter the southern Lebanese town of Houla on Monday morning to retrieve the body of the child Khadija Atwi and evacuate six civilians trapped inside, including two women and two children, the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Sunday.
The evacuation mission had earlier been delayed despite attempts by the Lebanese Army and the Red Cross to enter the town.
على نفس التراب الذي احتضن أباها ارتقت خديجة اليوم إبنة الشهيد حسين عطوي وكأنها لم تعد تحتمل الشوق فذهبت إليه.. مؤلم هذا الخبر لكن ما يؤلم أكثر أن جثمانها ما زال في العراء ينتظر حتى الغد ليتم انتشاله من بلدها حولا💔
— زينب عواضة (@Zeinab__Awada) February 16, 2025
السلام على أصحاب الحسين(ع) pic.twitter.com/4xegKTaOWx
Houla’s municipality issued an urgent appeal to the Lebanese authorities, UN peacekeeping forces, and the International Red Cross, calling for immediate intervention to ensure the civilians are not left stranded overnight without shelter.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Civil Defense announced that its teams transported two wounded civilians to Tebnine Governmental Hospital on Sunday afternoon after they were injured in Israeli attacks on Houla.
Rescuers faced significant challenges reaching the victims, as Israeli forces blocked ambulances from entering the area. Civil Defense personnel were forced to proceed on foot to carry out the rescue mission before successfully transferring the injured to the hospital for treatment.
One female was killed and several others were injured and abducted after Israeli forces opened fire on residents in the town of Houla, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon reported on Sunday. Later in the day, the Israeli occupation forces released the two Lebanese citizens.
Israeli aggression continues
Israeli fighter jets launched an airstrike on the Wadi al-Zein area in the outskirts of Bouday, a town in eastern Lebanon's Baalbek district, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. Additionally, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent confirmed that an Israeli air raid targeted the outskirts of Harbata, another town in the Beqaa region. The extent of damage or casualties from these strikes remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Al Mayadeen correspondents reported that Israeli forces executed demolitions in several areas, including, Tallet Labouneh, opposite Alma al-Shaab and Naqoura in the Tyre district; Mays al-Jabal, where two detonations were recorded; Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces carried out three demolitions within hours.
Additionally, Israeli forces demolished multiple homes in the town of Yaroun in the Bint Jbeil district, with two large-scale demolitions occurring less than an hour apart.
Amid these escalations, Israeli occupation forces released two Lebanese citizens they had abducted earlier in the day while they were entering the eastern neighborhood of Houla, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Southern Lebanon.
