Israel Army says it 'eliminated' Hamas leader Fatah Sharif in Lebanon

"During the day, Fatah Sharif was the president of the UNRWA teachers union and at night, he was the leader of Hamas in Lebanon," says an Israeli military spokesperson

The Israeli Army said on Monday (September 30, 2024) its forces "eliminated" Hamas' leader in Lebanon, as it continued to target Iran-backed militant groups in the neighbouring country.

"Overnight ... the IAF (air force) struck and eliminated the terrorist Fatah Sharif, head of the Lebanon branch of the Hamas terrorist organisation," the military said in a statement.

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Sharif "was responsible for coordinating Hamas' terror activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives. He was also responsible for Hamas' efforts in Lebanon to recruit operatives and acquire weapons," the statement said.

"He led the Hamas terrorist organisation's force build-up efforts in Lebanon and operated to advance Hamas' interests in Lebanon, both politically and militarily," it added.

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Hamas said earlier on Monday that Sharif was killed in an air strike on his home in the Al-Bass camp in southern Lebanon. The group said he was killed with his wife, son and daughter in a "terrorist and criminal assassination".

Lebanon's official national news agency reported an air strike on Al-Bass near the city of Tyre, saying it was the "first time" the camp had been targeted.

Sharif was also an employee of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees, but in recent months he had been put on administrative leave.

"Sharif was an UNRWA employee who was put on administrative leave without pay in March, and was undergoing an investigation following allegations that UNRWA received about his political activities," the agency told AFP in a statement.

"During the day, he was the president of the UNRWA teachers union and at night, he was the leader of Hamas in Lebanon," an Israeli military spokesperson told AFP.

Published - September 30, 2024 04:37 pm IST