Israel-Hezbollah war death toll reaches 4,047

The death toll in Lebanon in more than a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah has reached 4,047 people, most of them since a September escalation, authorities said Wednesday.

A week after a ceasefire took effect, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told reporters that "until now... we have recorded 4,047 dead and 16,638 wounded."

Abiad said 316 children and 790 women were among the dead.

Most of the deaths occurred after September 15, he said, adding that "we believe the real number may be higher" due to unrecorded deaths.

A source close to Hezbollah had told AFP that hundreds of the group's fighters had been killed, without providing a precise figure.

On the Israeli side, authorities reported at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians dead.

Israel stepped up its campaign in south Lebanon in late September after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah in support of its ally Hamas following the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.

A fragile ceasefire came into effect last week and is generally holding, though both sides have accused the other of repeated violations.

During the fighting, according to Abiad, there were "67 attacks on hospitals, including 40 hospitals that were directly targeted", killing 16 people.

"Seven of these hospitals are still closed," the minister said.

"There were 238 attacks on emergency response organisations, with 206 dead," he said, adding that 256 emergency vehicles including fire trucks and ambulances were also "targeted".

The Israeli military has insisted its actions were aimed at militants, and in October accused Hezbollah of using ambulances "for terrorist purposes".

On Monday, Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed 11 people, according to the health ministry, after Hezbollah earlier in the day claimed its first attack on an Israeli position since the truce began.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that "if we return to war, we will act with greater force and penetrate deeper" into Lebanon, adding that "there will be no immunity" for the Lebanese state, which was not a party to the Israel-Hezbollah war.