On 18 November 2025, an Israeli airstrike hit the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, on the outskirts of Saida, at around 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday night, in southern Lebanon. The strike hit near a parking lot by the Khalid bin al-Walid Mosque, in a densely populated part of the camp. The drone fired on a vehicle surrounded by pedestrians, many of whom were returning from evening prayers. A football/sports field where young people were gathered were alos targeted: "an open sports field frequented by young people from the camp, known to all residents, and that those targeted were a group of boys who were on the field at the time of the strike."

According to the state news agency NNA, three missiles were fired into the center.

Eyewitnesses described a horrific scene: people “just playing … suddenly the sound was terrifying, everyone fell. There were no weapons.”

Local sources reported that emergency services worked under very difficult conditions, evacuating the wounded into hospitals in Sidon.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that 13 Palestinian refugees were killed and dozens more wounded. The victims were all registered Palestinian refugees, descendants of families displaced during the Nakba in 1948. On November 19, search and rescue operations have ended at the site stuck by Israel: the death toll stands at 14.

Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee said it struck members of the Palestinian armed group Hamas who were operating in a training compound in the refugee camp: “When we say we will not tolerate any threat on our northern border, this means all terrorist groups operating in the region,”. “We will continue to act forcefully against Hamas’s attempts to establish a foothold in Lebanon and eliminate its elements that threaten our security.”

Hamas strongly rejects the claim, stating the strike hit a civilian “sports field” / indoor football field, not a military site.

Reactions:

Hamas condemned it as a “brutal assault on our unarmed Palestinian people.”

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) called it a “brutal Zionist aggression” and challenged claims of military justification.

Ceasefire violation:

Hamas and some local commentators see this as a violation or escalation. The strike is one of Israel's deadliest since the so-called ceasefire deal went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024.

Why Ain al-Hilweh Is Significant?

Ain al-Hilweh is the biggest Palestinian camp in Lebanon, with a very dense population, home to over 70,000 Palestinian refugees, and has long suffered from overcrowding, poverty, and limited access to Lebanese state services. The camp is not fully controlled by the Lebanese state; various Palestinian factions (including Hamas, Fatah, Islamist groups) have influence. In 2023, there were major clashes in the camp between Islamist groups and Fatah, resulting in dozens of deaths. There have also been past Israeli strikes. For example, in October 2024, an Israeli strike reportedly killed six Lebanese (some children) in Ain al-Hilweh.