Israeli strike kills two in Lebanon's Ain Al-Hilweh refugee camp
Shafaq News- Saida
An Israeli drone strike targeting the Hittin neighborhood of Ain Al-Hilweh refugee Camp in the southern Lebanese city of Saida killed two Palestinian civilians and injured three others, the Palestinian Red Crescent inside the camp stated on Friday.
Local sources within the camp told Shafaq News that the bombarded building houses civilians and is located in one of the camp’s most densely populated residential areas, adding that “the site includes a headquarters for the Joint Security Force inside the camp, and is not affiliated with Hamas or any other Palestinian faction.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced the army had struck “a command headquarters operated by Hamas militants in the Ain Al-Hilweh area in southern Lebanon.” The strike comes less than two weeks after he claimed that Israel’s Shin Bet security agency had foiled the activities of two cells in the West Bank, alleging they were directed from Lebanon, specifically from Ain Al-Hilweh camp.
🔸هاجم جيش الدفاع قبل قليل مقر قيادة عمل داخله عناصر إرهابية من حماس في منطقة عين الحلوة بجنوب لبنان
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) February 20, 2026
The Lebanese–Palestinian Dialogue Committee, the official Lebanese body responsible for Palestinian refugee camp affairs, condemned the strike, calling it a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a breach of the ceasefire agreement. It warned that “the attack threatens the fragile stability and raises tensions, particularly within Palestinian camps in Lebanon.”
In November 2025, an Israeli strike on the Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp killed more than 12 people, the majority of them children, according to Lebanese health authorities. Israel maintains that Hamas has established military infrastructure on Lebanese territory, a claim the Palestinian movement categorically denies.
Since the cessation of hostilities on November 27, 2024, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have extended beyond Hezbollah targets to include Palestinian operatives and refugee camps. Israeli aircraft have conducted more than six assassinations against figures affiliated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.
