On November 18, 2025, an Israeli airstrike on the Ain al-HilwehPalestinian refugee camp in Sidon District, Lebanon killed at least thirteen people, including eleven children and left six others injured.[1] Israel said that it was targeting an alleged Hamas training centre, being used to plan an attack on Israel.[2] Hamas denied the allegation.[3]
Ain al-Hilweh, located on the outskirts of Sidon,[4] is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.[5] The camp was previously the site of an Israeli attack in October 2024, which purportedly targeted elements of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. A month later, the Lebanese government disarmed the camp as part of the Israel–Lebanon ceasefire agreement.[4] Earlier on the day of the strike, Israel had launched airstrikes on another part of Lebanon, killing two people.[6] Two prominent Hamas commanders were killed by the IDF in Lebanon earlier in 2025.[7]
Airstrike
Late on 18 November 2025,[8] an Israeli drone launched an airstrike on a vehicle in the parking lot of the Khalid bin Al-Walid Mosque in Ain al-Hilweh.[6] According to the state-run National News Agency, the initial strike was followed up by three other missile strikes which targeted the mosque and a nearby centre of the same name.[4] At least 13 people were killed in the strike and several others were injured, as ambulances rushed to the scene to transport the victims to hospitals.[6] On 25 November, Thameen al-Kheetan, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that the strike also killed eleven children.[1]
The Israeli Defense Forces said that it had targeted a Hamas training compound during the strike in a statement shortly afterwards. It additionally stated that it used "precision munitions, aerial observations, and additional intelligence information" for the strike in order to limit civilian casualties.[5] Hamas denied Israel's assertion.[9] On 21 November, the IDF said that the 13 fatalities were Hamas members, and included Jawad Sidawi, who helped train militants to attack Israel from Lebanese territory.[10][11]
Aftermath
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged for a "prompt and impartial" investigation into the Israeli attack, alerting people to potential breaches of international humanitarian law almost a year after a ceasefire was agreed upon.[1][12]
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Hamas training compound (alleged)
Israeli Air Force 