From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Over 1,000 northern residents block traffic near Kibbutz Amiad, demanding to return to their homes
On the backdrop of a series of attacks on northern communities from Lebanon throughout the day, over 1,000 residents erect a protest encampment dubbed “Displaced people of the Galilee.”
The protesters are calling on the government to take action — either military or diplomatic — to bring an end to Hezbollah attacks on northern communities in recent months that have left them displaced from their homes.
Some mayors of northern communities attend the protest, along with MKs from both sides of the aisle, according to the Israel Hayom newspaper.
Protesters block the entrance to Kibbutz Amiad, located some 10 kilometers (six miles) north of the Sea of Galilee.
כ-1,200 מתושבי הצפון השתתפו בפתיחת "מחנה פליטים עקורי הגליל" בכניסה לקיבוץ עמיעד בגליל העליון. כמה פעילים חסמו את צומת עמיעד. ראש מועצת מטולה: "הגיע הזמן לחסום את הצמתים ולנתק את הגליל ממדינת ישראל עד שתיקח אחריות"@rubih67 pic.twitter.com/xMdv4ulNou
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 23, 2024
The IDF said that dozens of projectiles were fired from Lebanon at northern towns throughout the day, with one barrage that came hours after a senior Hezbollah member, who was said to have procured “strategic and unique weapons” for the terror group, was killed in an Israeli strike.
Some 60,000 northern residents have been evacuated since Hezbollah-led forces began attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis on October 8, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in 10 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 14 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 312 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 61 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
