14 people were killed on Tuesday when an Israeli drone strike hit the overcrowded Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, marking the deadliest escalation since last year’s ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the strike targeted a car parked near a mosque inside the camp, located on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon.

The Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed 14 fatalities and several injuries, warning that the number could rise due to the severity of the blast.

Ein el-Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, is home to tens of thousands of Palestinians who have lived under harsh conditions for decades. Residents said the explosion sent panic through the densely packed alleys as ambulances struggled to navigate the area.

The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas “training compound” allegedly preparing an attack against Israel. Hamas rejected the claim, saying the strike hit a sports field and insisting the area had no military facilities. The group condemned the attack as “a massacre against civilians in a refugee camp.”

The strike is part of a pattern of Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory in recent years, many of which have targeted senior figures from Hezbollah and Palestinian factions.

Tensions in Lebanon have remained high since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. Hezbollah began firing rockets toward Israeli military positions a day after the war erupted, triggering months of cross-border exchanges that escalated into a full war in September 2024. That conflict left more than 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused billions of dollars in destruction before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in November.

But despite the truce, Israeli strikes have continued across Lebanon. The Health Ministry says more than 270 people have been killed and nearly 850 wounded by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, as Israel claims armed groups are attempting to rebuild.

For families in Ein el-Hilweh, Tuesday’s strike added another layer of trauma to a community already living with decades of displacement, overcrowding, and instability.