Israel Says 13 Hamas Members Killed in Strike on Lebanon Camp

Israel has announced that its military strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon earlier this week killed 13 people it identified as Hamas members. The strike took place on Tuesday at the Ain al-Helweh camp, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in the country.

Lebanese authorities confirmed that at least 13 people were killed in the attack but did not release any names or details about the victims.

According to the Israeli military, the strike targeted what it described as a Hamas training site inside the camp. The army said those killed included Jihad Saidawi, a man it accused of training fighters to launch attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory. Israel said the operation was part of its ongoing efforts to prevent Hamas from expanding its presence in Lebanon.

Hamas, however, rejected Israel’s claims. The group said the place that was hit was not a military area but an open sports field where young people from the camp usually gather. Hamas said that the victims were mostly young boys and called the attack a “massacre.”

A school inside the camp also confirmed that two of its students were among the victims. Photos shared online showed the faces of the 13 people Hamas said were killed in the strike.

The Ain al-Helweh camp, located near the coastal city of Sidon, has long been a crowded and tense area where multiple factions operate. The strike comes despite a ceasefire agreement announced last November aimed at stopping months of clashes between Israel and groups linked to Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel said it would continue targeting what it sees as Hamas activity in Lebanon, accusing militant groups of using crowded civilian areas for protection. Meanwhile, people in the camp are demanding answers and calling for an investigation into why the strike happened in a densely populated area.