An Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon killed 13 folks on Tuesday, in response to the Lebanese health ministry.
Several others have been injured by the strike on the Ain al-Hilweh camp on the outskirts of the coastal metropolis of Sidon, the ministry mentioned, including that ambulances have been nonetheless taking folks to close by hospitals for remedy. It urged residents to donate blood.
The state-run National News Agency mentioned a drone had focused a automotive close to the Khalid bin Al-Walid Mosque contained in the camp. Subsequently, three missiles focused each the mosque and the close by Khalid bin Al-Walid Center.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) mentioned the strike had focused “a Hamas training compound” that was getting used to “plan and carry out terrorist attacks against the IDF and the State of Israel.”
“The IDF is operating against Hamas’ establishment in Lebanon and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate,” it mentioned.
Local factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Sidon condemned the strike.
Israel beforehand struck the camp in October 2024, when it mentioned it was focusing on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a Palestinian militant group. The camp was amongst these disarmed by the Lebanese authorities following the Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire in November 2024.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the camp’s unique inhabitants arrived in 1948 “mostly from coastal Palestinian towns.” Since then, Palestinian refugees displaced from different components of Lebanon have additionally made it their residence.
For greater than two years, Israel has carried out strikes in (*13*) in addition to varied Palestinian militant factions.
The escalation started after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched assaults on Israel in assist of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, throughout which militants killed 1,200 folks and took greater than 250 hostages.
Israel’s response triggered a devastating war in Gaza, the place the Gaza health ministry says greater than 69,000 folks – most of them girls and kids – have been killed.
NCS ‘s Abeer Salman and Zeena Saifi contributed to this report.