The Hamas leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu al-Amin, was killed in an Israeli attack on one of the established Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon. Several of his family members are also said to have been killed.
The refugee camp is located on the outskirts of the city of Tyre on the coast. The air raid was reported by state-owned Lebanese media and later confirmed by the Israeli military, which accuses Hamas leader Sherif of coordinating "terrorist activities" with Hezbollah.
"He was also responsible for Hamas' efforts to recruit operatives and acquire weapons in Lebanon," according to an Israeli statement.
UNRWA confirms employment
Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva wrote earlier on Monday on X and accused Sherif of working with UNRWA, and wrote that "this case shows that there are major problems within UNRWA". The UN agency's spokesperson, Jonathan Fowler, confirms that Sherif was a UNRWA employee who was suspended without pay in March and investigated following allegations about his "political activities".
He was not open about his connection to the terrorist-designated group.
According to a Hamas statement, Sherif is hailed for his "educational and jihadist work" and is called a successful teacher and prominent principal.
During the intense Gaza War, Israel has carried out targeted attacks on Hamas leaders in the neighboring country to the north on several occasions – for example, in January when Saleh al-Aruri, vice chairman of Hamas' political bureau, was killed in an air raid on a building in Beirut.
Unusually central
On Monday, a multi-family house in the central parts of Beirut was also attacked. A drone attacked a specific apartment in the building.
In the early morning hours on Monday, a Palestinian secular left-wing guerrilla, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), announced that three of its members were killed in the attack.
A few hours later, Israel took responsibility for the attack and announced that two named PFLP leaders had been killed. The two men are also called terrorists.
Israel has not targeted an area as central in Beirut in the past year, instead attacking Hezbollah targets in the southern parts of the city.
