Thirty-eight of them were killed in the strike on southern Beirut that targeted several Hezbollah commanders on Friday, Abiad said. Among them were three children and seven women. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.
Some 2,950 people were injured by the pager detonations, Abiad said. Of those, 777 are still in hospital and 152 in critical condition.
Many of the injured have lost their vision partially or completely, Abiad stated, adding that some 2,087 surgeries have been conducted so far.
The vast majority of the injured were civilians who were in stores and supermarkets at the time of the attacks, the minister added, describing Israel’s actions as a “war crime”.
