Hamas denies Israeli claim that strike targeted 'training centre' in Ain al-Hilweh camp

Hamas has denied Israeli claims that a deadly nighttime air strike on a south Lebanon Palestinian refugee camp targeted one of the group’s training centres, saying that it only killed civilians.

An Israeli airstrike on Ain al-Hilweh camp near the coastal city of Sidon on Tuesday night killed 13 people and wounded several more, the Lebanese health ministry said in a revised toll on Wednesday.

Local reports said body parts were scattered at the site of the attack, which happened near the Khalid Ibn al-Walid Mosque in the southern part of the camp. The injured were rushed to hospitals in neighbouring Sidon.

It was the first major strike on Lebanon’s largest camp for Palestinian refugees since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire nearly a year ago.

Without providing any evidence, the Israeli military said that it struck a training compound used by Hamas operatives.

Shortly after, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz held the Lebanese government responsible for the presence of what he described as training camps inside refugee camps.

"There are no longer humanitarian considerations for the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and we have given orders to neutralise any terrorist buildings," Katz said.

But Hamas quickly denied these allegations, describing it in a statement as a "blatant lie aimed at justifying the massacre".

"There are no military facilities inside the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon," the group said.

The statement said the strike targeted a sports field inside the camp popular with young people, in "an entirely civilian area well known to all camp residents."

"The Israeli terrorist attack is a new episode in the ongoing series of crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and against Lebanese territory and sovereignty," said Hamas in its statement.

"We hold Israel fully responsible for this heinous crime that targeted unarmed civilians, and we reaffirm that this blood will remain fuel until the occupation is defeated and removed from all Palestinian land," it added.

The Israeli military claimed the attack targeted a complex used to enlist new fighters, using alleged historic recruitment literature which The New Arab could not verify.

Israel has frequently made claims, frequently disproven, that civilian infrastructure - such as schools and hospitals - that have been targeted in air strikes were used by Hamas or other armed groups.

Continuing Israeli war crimes

Rights groups have repeatedly condemned Israeli war crimes in Lebanon, where Israeli attacks on the country over the past two years have killed hundreds.

Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that ended more than a year of war with Hezbollah, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanon, claiming to target the Iran-backed group and occasionally Palestinian fighters.

Hamas has long maintained a presence in some of Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps, but its role in the country has become increasingly controversial.

In May this year, the Lebanese Supreme Defence Council issued a stern warning to Hamas against using Lebanese territory for operations against Israel.

As part of its efforts to disarm all armed groups in the country, Beirut has urged Hamas to surrender its weapons in the camps, something the Palestinian group has refused to do, unlike its longtime rival, Fatah.

Separately in south Lebanon, an Israeli strike killed at least one person and injured 11 others Wednesday morning.

The strike targeted a vehicle in the village of Tiri in the Bint Jbeil district.

A renewed offensive looms over Lebanon as Israel claims the Lebanese government is not disarming Hezbollah quick enough.