At least 13 people were killed Tuesday night in a densely populated Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, officials said. Lebanon reported the fatalities following an Israeli strike that targeted what Israel described as a Hamas compound inside Ain al-Helweh.
Hamas denied any military presence, calling Israel’s claims “lies” and describing the assault as a brutal attack on innocent civilians. An AFP correspondent saw firefighters battling flames on the lower floors of a struck building amid the chaos of the camp.
Gunmen fired into the air to clear paths for ambulances transporting the wounded to nearby hospitals, witnesses reported. Israel said its forces struck a Hamas training site in Ain al-Helweh, continuing operations despite a ceasefire agreed last November.
The Lebanese health ministry confirmed 13 dead and multiple wounded, warning that ambulances were still ferrying victims to hospitals. State media reported the strike hit a car near Khalid bin al-Walid mosque and may have affected the mosque itself.
AFP reporters saw no damage to the mosque, but medics described rescuers retrieving body parts from the surrounding area. Hamas claimed those targeted were youths playing on an open sports field and condemned Israel for killing children in the strike.
Israel has previously targeted Hamas operatives in Lebanon, often alongside strikes against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group. Under US pressure, Lebanon has begun disarming Hezbollah and non-state groups, including discussions with Palestinian factions over camp weapons.
Ain al-Helweh hosts some 222,000 Palestinian refugees, where Lebanese authorities traditionally avoid policing, leaving factions to handle security matters. Earlier Tuesday, separate Israeli raids in southern Lebanon killed two more people, though the Israeli military did not comment.