13 dead in Israeli strike on Lebanon refugee camp
S Arefin 
An Israeli drone strike on the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon has killed 13 people and wounded several others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry and state media. Officials say it is the deadliest strike on Lebanese territory since a ceasefire ended the Israel–Hezbollah war a year ago.
Strike on Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp
The attack hit a car in the parking lot of a mosque inside the crowded Ein el-Hilweh camp near the coastal city of Sidon. Lebanese state news reported that the drone struck on Tuesday evening, shattering windows and sending shrapnel into nearby streets.
Ambulances rushed to the scene and later crowded outside a local hospital as medics treated the wounded. However, authorities have not yet released a full breakdown of the victims or said whether they were civilians, militants, or both.
Lebanon says 13 killed, many more injured
Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed that 13 people died in the strike and that “several others” suffered injuries, without providing further details. Local officials described the incident as the most lethal single attack since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah were halted last year.
Hamas fighters operating in the area reportedly prevented journalists from entering the camp immediately after the blast. As a result, much of the early information has come through government statements and hospital sources rather than direct footage from the strike location.
Israel says Hamas compound targeted
The Israeli military said its aircraft struck what it described as a Hamas “training compound” inside Ein el-Hilweh. According to the Israel Defense Forces, militants at the site were planning attacks on Israeli territory, and the army vowed to keep acting against Hamas “wherever the group operates.”
Hamas, however, rejected that account and claimed the strike hit a sports or playground area rather than a military facility. The group condemned the attack as a massacre inside a densely populated refugee camp that hosts tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Escalation fears on the Lebanon front
The strike comes amid a fragile calm along the Israel–Lebanon border, where cross-border fire has continued intermittently despite last year’s ceasefire. Over the past two years, Israeli raids have killed several senior figures from Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in Lebanon, including Hamas officials in Beirut and Sidon.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s authorities say more than 270 people have been killed and hundreds wounded by Israeli military actions since that ceasefire. Regional analysts warn that high-casualty incidents like the Ein el-Hilweh strike could inflame tensions further and risk dragging Lebanon deeper into the wider Israel–Hamas conflict.
For families inside the camp, the immediate focus remains on identifying the dead and caring for the injured. Yet many fear that Tuesday’s attack may signal more intense confrontations to come in an already volatile region.
Image: AP/Bilal Hussein
About The Author
Sultanul Arefin 
Suzan Seherin 
