Dozens of Christian Lebanese evacuated, gather at church for funeral of man killed in Israeli strike

Описание: (10 Mar 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jdeideh, Lebanon - 10 March 2026
1. Wide, interior of church during funeral Mass
2. Priest holding funeral Mass
3. People sitting at funeral Mass
4. Woman crying
5. Tilt down exterior of church
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kareem Chehayeb, The Associated Press:
“I’m standing outside the Saint Anthony Church in the outskirts of Beirut in Jdeideh, where a funeral prayer is being held for a man who was killed in an Israeli strike in the border village of Alma al-Shaab. Among the people mourning him are other residents of Alma al-Shaab who were evacuated by U.N. peacekeeping forces earlier today. This is a Christian village and the residents who have just arrived to the Lebanese capital tell me they had nothing to do with this war between Israel and Hezbollah, they were also displaced in the last war in 2024, a lot of them lost their homes and when that war ended a lot of them said they were hoping for a calmer period, and this time they tried to stick around, they said they spent days sleeping inside a church and they have appealed to the authorities and even to the Vatican that there’s no military activity in their village, not from Hezbollah, nor any other organization, but they were told to leave so almost 100 of them packed up everything they had and left this morning. But this time ahead of an anticipated ground invasion into southern Lebanon, a lot of them have lost hope that they will no longer be able to go to their villages and to their ancestral homeland.”
7. Alma al-Shaab resident Elias Konsol being hugged by his mother
8. Wide of people at funeral Mass
9. Various of priest holding funeral Mass



STORYLINE:
Dozens of residents from a Christian Lebanese border village have been evacuated, gathering at a church in Beirut’s outskirts to hold funeral prayers for a compatriot killed in an Israeli strike.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, helped almost 100 residents leave Alma al-Shaab early Tuesday, the last group of residents who for days tried to stand their ground amid the ongoing bombardments between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

“The situation was difficult, we were sleeping in the church the entire time,” said evacuee Joe Sayyah. He said the strike that killed Sami al-Ghafri was the turning point that made them decide to leave. “Sami was hit in front of his house, which is 40 meters away from the church.”

Over 600,000 people have been displaced as Israel asked residents across southern Lebanon to flee northward.

In Christian villages like Alma al-Shaab, residents insisted they have nothing to do with this war and no military activity is taking place from their areas.

The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on March. 2 when the group fired rockets and drones on northern Israel following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei two days earlier in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike.

Israel retaliated with large waves of airstrikes and Israeli troops captured several new posts in southern Lebanon.

The war has so far left at least 486 people dead and more than 1,300 people wounded.

AP video by Fadi Tawil

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