Israeli Military Claims 13 Hamas Operatives Killed in Lebanon Refugee Camp Strike

Israeli military forces launched a strike on Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon on Thursday.

On Friday, Israel's military announced that a strike conducted earlier this week on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon resulted in the death of "13 Hamas terrorists."

Lebanese authorities reported that Tuesday's strike on the Ain al-Helweh camp killed at least 13 individuals, though they did not disclose their identities.

The Israeli military stated, "Thirteen Hamas terrorists were eliminated in a precise IDF (military) strike targeting the organisation's training compound in southern Lebanon."

Among those killed was "Jihad Saidawi, who was involved in training terrorists in order to carry out terror attacks from Lebanese territory" against Israel and its forces, according to a Hebrew statement. The military had previously referred to him as "Jawad Sidawi" in an English release.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to AFP's request for the names of the other 12 individuals killed in the strike.

On Wednesday, Hamas in Lebanon published a death notice listing all 13 names, including Jihad Saidawi, and subsequently shared photographs of all victims on its Telegram channel.

Israel's military emphasized that it "is operating against Hamas's establishment in Lebanon, and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate."

A secondary school in the camp announced on its Facebook page Thursday that two of its students were among those killed, sharing an image of two adolescent boys.

Hamas issued a statement on Thursday, accompanied by images of 13 young-looking men, describing the strike as a "horrific massacre that caused the deaths of several innocent civilian martyrs."

On Tuesday, the militant group denied having military installations in Palestinian camps in Lebanon, calling Israel's claims "lies."

While the Israeli military released video footage of a strike hitting a building, Hamas countered that "the targeted site was an open sports field frequented by the youth of the camp" and that "those targeted were a group of young boys" present on the field at the time.

The Ain al-Helweh camp, located near the coastal city of Sidon, is Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp and is known for its crowded conditions.

Israel has continued its strikes on Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement reached last November that aimed to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hamas ally Hezbollah, including two months of intense warfare.

On Friday, the Israeli military claimed that "terrorist organisations continue to cynically exploit the population and civilian infrastructure" in Palestinian camps in Lebanon.