700 Syrians Caught Trying to Enter Lebanon in One Week

Syrian refugees prepare to leave Lebanon toward Syrian territory through the Wadi Hamid crossing in Arsal on Oct. 26, 2022. (Getty Images/AFP)
Syrian refugees prepare to leave Lebanon toward Syrian territory through the Wadi Hamid crossing in Arsal on Oct. 26, 2022. (Getty Images/AFP)
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700 Syrians Caught Trying to Enter Lebanon in One Week

Syrian refugees prepare to leave Lebanon toward Syrian territory through the Wadi Hamid crossing in Arsal on Oct. 26, 2022. (Getty Images/AFP)
Syrian refugees prepare to leave Lebanon toward Syrian territory through the Wadi Hamid crossing in Arsal on Oct. 26, 2022. (Getty Images/AFP)

The Lebanese army turned away around 700 Syrians attempting to cross into the neighbouring country illegally over the past week, the armed forces said in a statement on Wednesday.

The attempted influx coincides with days of rare protest in Syria's southern city of Sweida, as dire living conditions stoke discontent in regime-held areas.

Millions of Syrians have already fled abroad since Syria's war began in 2011 following the government's repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests.

Lebanon's army "prevented, over several days this past week, about 700 Syrians from crossing the Lebanese-Syrian border," the Lebanese armed forces statement said.

A security official told AFP that deteriorating economic conditions in Syria had pushed more people to flee their homeland, with many hoping to reach Europe. The official couldn't give data to illustrate the increase, and it was not clear where along the border the migrants were blocked.

Syrians are fleeing "because of the economic situation, because the Syrian pound has further collapsed," he said, on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the press.

Syria's 12-year conflict has ravaged the country's infrastructure and industry, the Syrian pound has lost most of its value against the dollar, and most of the population has been pushed into poverty.

"Some hope to find work here in Lebanon, but many are hoping to flee to Europe," the source added.

The protests by hundreds in Syria erupted after the government lifted fuel subsidies last week, dealing a blow to people already struggling with the war's heavy economic toll.

On August 12, Lebanon's army said it arrested 134 migrants, most of them Syrians, near the northern border with Syria after foiling their attempt to take a boat to Europe.

The same day, the armed forces said they had arrested 150 Syrians who had crossed into Lebanon illegally in the same province of Akkar.

Lebanon's own economic collapse has turned it into a launchpad for migrants. Lebanese are joining Syrian and Palestinian refugees clamouring to leave by taking dangerous sea routes.

Authorities say Lebanon currently hosts around two million Syrians, while more than 800,000 are registered with the United Nations -- the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

Migrants departing from Lebanon head for Europe, with one of the main destinations Cyprus, only 175 kilometres (110 miles) away.

Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and forced around half the country's pre-war population from their homes.



Gaza Health Ministry Reports 51 Deaths from Israeli Strikes, Bringing Overall Toll to Over 52,000

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, May 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, May 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
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Gaza Health Ministry Reports 51 Deaths from Israeli Strikes, Bringing Overall Toll to Over 52,000

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, May 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, May 14, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo

Hospitals in the Gaza Strip received the remains of 51 Palestinians over the past 24 hours who were killed in Israeli strikes, the local Health Ministry said Sunday, bringing the Palestinian death toll from the 18-month-old Israel-Hamas war to 52,243.

The overall toll includes nearly 700 bodies for which the documentation process was recently completed, the ministry said in its latest update. The daily toll includes bodies retrieved from the rubble after earlier strikes.

Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas by launching a surprise bombardment on March 18, and has been carrying out daily waves of strikes since then. Ground forces have expanded a buffer zone and encircled the southern city of Rafah, and now control around 50% of the territory.

Israel has also sealed off the territory's 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, for nearly 60 days. Aid groups say supplies will soon run out and that thousands of children are malnourished, The AP news reported.

Israeli authorities say the renewed offensive and tightened blockade are aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023r Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and all the hostages are returned.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 59 hostages — 24 of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire reached in January.

Gaza's Health Ministry says women and children make up most of the Palestinian deaths, but does not say how many were militants or civilians. It says another 117,600 people have been wounded in the war.

The overall tally includes 2,151 dead and 5,598 wounded since Israel resumed the war last month.

Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and it blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in densely populated areas.

Israel's offensive has destroyed vast parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population, leaving hundreds of thousands of people sheltering in squalid tent camps or bombed-out buildings.