Hamas calls Israeli attack on Lebanon refugee camp ‘crime against civilians’

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – Palestinian group Hamas on Friday rejected Israeli claims that a strike on the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon targeted one of its command centers, calling the attack a “crime against civilians” and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.

In a statement, Hamas condemned the attack as a “brutal aggression” by the Israeli army against the camp in the city of Sidon, saying the strike resulted in deaths and injuries among civilians.

“Targeting a camp that houses thousands of Palestinian refugees and is densely populated constitutes a dangerous escalation and a blatant disregard for international laws and norms,” the statement said.

The movement denied Israeli allegations that the targeted site was a Hamas facility, calling them “baseless pretexts that do not stand up to facts.” It said the attacked building belonged to a joint security force responsible for maintaining order and stability inside the camp.

It held the Israeli government fully responsible for the consequences of the strike and called on the international community and Arab and Islamic countries to take urgent action to halt ongoing attacks and ensure protection for Palestinians “wherever they are present.”

Earlier, two people were killed and three others injured in an Israeli drone strike on the camp, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent in Ain al-Hilweh.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that the strike hit the Hittin neighborhood inside the densely populated camp, causing material damage to the targeted building and surrounding structures.

The Israeli military claimed in a statement that it struck a Hamas command center in the Ain al-Hilweh area.

The Israeli army carried out a similar strike in November. 2025 in the same area where at least 13 people were killed and several others injured. Later, the army claimed that the attack targeted Hamas members inside the camp.

At the time, Hamas decried the attack as a “brutal assault” on civilians, saying the Israeli strike targeted a group of teenagers on an open sports field.

The latest attack came amid repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024, killing and wounding hundreds of Lebanese. Israel continues to occupy five Lebanese hilltops seized during the latest war, in addition to other Lebanese areas it has held for decades.