A United Nations Special Rapporteur has condemned an Israeli strike on the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Southern Lebanon, calling it a war crime. The strike, which targeted the camp near the city of Sidon, resulted in the deaths of 13 Palestinians.
Maurice Tidball-Binz, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, issued a statement Friday asserting that the attack on the camp, which occurred Tuesday evening, is part of a “disturbing pattern of deadly strikes by Israel on densely populated areas, in blatant disregard for the Lebanese ceasefire and peace efforts.”
The Rapporteur emphasized that repeated attacks on civilians and civilian targets constitute war crimes and a violation of the UN Charter.
Reports indicate that the strike on Ain al-Hilweh, allegedly carried out by Israeli drones, killed 14 people, including 12 children. “Israel claims it targeted a Hamas training camp within the camp, without providing further clarification,” Binz stated.
The Israeli military claimed it had killed 13 Hamas operatives who were training to carry out attacks against its forces. However, Hamas has denied these claims, asserting that the Israelis bombed an open sports field frequented by young boys from the Ain al-Hilweh camp. The group insists that there are no military installations within the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
Palestinian sources confirm that the victims were young boys and children, some of whom belonged to a scout troop. According to a local source cited by the Anadolu Agency, the victims were playing football when three Israeli missiles struck a sports field near the Khaled bin al-Walid Mosque in Ain al-Hilweh camp.
The local source added that these young boys were well-known in the neighborhood, attending mosques and participating in scouting and sports activities. Most were under the age of 18.
Footage has emerged showing members of the scout troop mourning the loss of their friends who were killed in the Israeli bombing.
The incident has sparked widespread condemnation and renewed calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the strike.
