The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 13 people died and several were injured following an Israeli attack on Ain al-Helweh, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, located on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon.

Lebanon's state news agency (NNA) stated the strike targeted a car in a parking lot near the Khalid bin al-Walid mosque inside the camp. The NNA also reported that the mosque and a center of the same name were possibly targets of the attack.

The strike Israel claimed targeted a Hamas training facility in Ein al-Hilweh on 18/11. Video: IDF

An Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporter at the scene observed a fire erupting on the lower floor of a building and ambulances entering the camp, but saw no damage to the mosque. A medical worker stated that rescue teams were collecting body fragments in the area.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared it had struck militants inside a "Hamas training compound in the Ain al-Helweh area in southern Lebanon." The IDF released a video of the attack, showing a building being hit.

Hamas called the IDF's information "fabrications and lies," asserting that the group has no military facilities inside Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Hamas stated that Israel's target was an outdoor sports field frequented by youth in the camp, emphasizing that those targeted were a group of boys on the field at the time.

Despite reaching a ceasefire agreement with the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon late last year, the Israeli military continues to conduct airstrikes against the neighboring nation.

Tel Aviv often states it targets Hezbollah-related sites, but has also struck Hamas forces in Lebanon. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies in the Iran-backed "axis of resistance" against Israel and the West.

Rescue forces search for victims after the strike on Ain al-Helweh refugee camp on 18/11. Photo: AFP

During a visit to Beirut in May, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed with his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun that weapons in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon would be handed over to local authorities.

According to a Palestinian official, some Palestinian factions in Ain al-Helweh surrendered their weapons in September, but Hamas has not announced plans for disarmament in Lebanon.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that approximately 220,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon. Following a long-standing practice, the Lebanese army does not intervene in the camps, allowing Palestinian factions to manage security there.

Pham Giang (According to AFP)