Israel kills Hamas commander in strike on Lebanon refugee camp

An Israeli strike on a refugee camp in north Lebanon on Saturday killed Hamas commander Saeed Atallah Ali and his family, the militant group has said.

In a statement, Hamas reported that an early Saturday strike on the Beddawi refugee camp targeted the home of Atallah Ali. The attack also claimed the lives of Ali’s wife, Shaimaa Azzam, and their two daughters, who were described in the statement as children, The Associated Press reported.

Beddawi camp is near the northern city of Tripoli. Atallah Ali was a key leader of the al-Qassam brigades. Israel has yet to comment on the strike.

Israel has repeatedly targeted Hamas and Hezbollah officials in Lebanon since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted almost a year ago on October 7, when 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 were taken hostage.

Israel declared war on the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip in response, and so far 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, with just over half of the dead being women and children, according to local health officials.

On Tuesday, Israel stepped up its attacks against Hezbollah, beginning a ground incursion into Lebanon. The Israeli military said nine of its soldiers have died in the conflict in the south of the country. Meanwhile, Hamas has announced the deaths of at least 18 of its militants in Lebanon, while nearly 2,000 civilians have died.

Last week, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. An Israeli media report claimed the 64-year-old died in a bunker following an Israeli airstrike on his hideout in Lebanon.

Nasrallah had led—Hezbollah deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S.—for decades. He was opposed to the existence of the state of Israel and had launched rocket attacks on the nation after the October 7 attacks.

Several other Hezbollah members were also killed as their pagers exploded last week in an attack that the Lebanese militant group blamed on Israel.

The IDF previously said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that a political decision had been made to target Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon “based on precise intelligence.”

It added that “Operation Northern Arrows” will continue “according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas.” The statement reiterated one of its goals was to “return the citizens of northern Israel to their homes.”

Since the ground incursion in Lebanon, the U.S. has facilitated the flights of around 250 Americans out of the country.