A bride, a family: Lebanon's death toll grows as Israeli strikes continue

As Lebanese engineer Maya Gharib prepared for herwedding next month, excited relativesarrangedfor her dress to be picked up.

But on Monday, Gharib, her two sisters and their parents were killed in an Israeli strike on their home in a suburb of the southern city of Tyre, said Gharib's brother Reda, the only surviving member of the family.

"They were just sitting at home, and then the house was targeted," Reda Gharib, who moved to Senegal last year for work, told Reuters in a phone call.

A screenshot shared with Reuters shows a message sent by a relative to the dress shop after the Gharib family died: "The bride was martyred."

The family were among hundreds killed by Israeli airstrikesthis week and tensions rise in the Middle East. Lebanon's health ministry said Monday's attacks aloneleft more than 550 people dead, including at least 50 children and 98 women, inLebanon's bloodiest day since the end of the civil war that ended in 1990.

Israel hasMonday's strikes targeted Hezbollah and its weapons.

In the days since, other reports have emerged of families that lost several members. A Canadian couple was also among the dead.

WATCH | Trudeau says the violence is 'devastating':

This is a horrific situation: Trudeau on violence in Lebanon

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is devastated by the deaths of two Canadians in Lebanon, amid hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Trudeau says Israel and Hezbollah need to de-escalate.

'These are civilian homes'

In the southern town of Hanouiyeh, an Israeli strike killed eight members of one family and a live-in domestic worker from Gambia, relatives said.

Mohammad Saksouk, whose brother Hasan was among those killed, told Reuters the strike hit a building next to the family home, which collapsed onto theirs.

He said the family had nothing to do with Hezbollah and criticized the Israelis for "indiscriminate" attacks, while also questioning whyLebanonhad been dragged into a battle that Hezbollah says is in support of Palestinians.

"Now, we're homeless. We are living in the streets," he said via phone from a temporary shelter. "Before, we were living completely normal lives. Who will give us back our homes?"

The victims included Hasan Saksouk, his adult children Mohammad and Mona, Mohammad's wife Fatima and their nine-month-old daughter Rima, as well as Mona's three children, all under nine years old.

Anna, the Gambian worker in her early 30s, was also killed.

The coastal town of Saksakieh saw 11 civilians killed on Monday, including six women and two children, according to Mayor Ali Abbas, who said there were direct strikes on homes.

"These are civilian homes, they have nothing to do with any kind of military installation," Abbas told Reuters.

Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel on Oct. 8, the day after the militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel, declaring a "support front" for Palestinians.

The clashes escalated sharply since last week, with hundreds killed and thousands injured inLebanonas Israel wages an air campaign that has seen strikes in most parts of the country.

On Tuesday, the Gharib family wasburied in a rushed funeral.Few people were in attendance due to the danger of strikes.

Reda was unable to fly in as most flights had been cancelled amid ongoing Israeli attacks and rocket fire from Hezbollah.

His father was a retired veteran ofLebanon's army, a cross-sectarian force funded by the U.S. and other countries and widely seen as source of unity inLebanon. His sisters were all in their 20s.

"We are a nationalistic family with no party affiliation, though of course we stand with everyone who resists aggression," Reda Gharib said, noting no member of the family was a member of Hezbollah.

But now, having lost his family, he saidhe wanted Hezbollah to continue fighting Israel "until victory" and not to accept any negotiations.