Mourners gather in Beirut to pay respects to conservationist who died after Israeli strike

Beirut mourned the loss of Mona Khalil, a dedicated Lebanese conservationist, who died Sunday from injuries sustained when an Israeli strike hit her home on the country's southern coast earlier this month. Khalil, aged 76, had devoted more than 20 years to protecting sea turtles along Lebanon's coastline through her conservation hub, The Orange House, in Mansouri.

“

For the volunteers, 'this relationship didn't stop at being a volunteering relationship, Mona became our mother.'

News of Khalil's death prompted widespread grief among environmentalists and volunteers who had worked with her. Fadia Jomaa, a journalist and environmental activist who first met Khalil in 2016, described her as a maternal figure to the volunteers. Jomaa recounted how Khalil, despite the dangers during the previous Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024, initially refused to leave her home, only evacuating when persuaded by the Lebanese army.

Khalil, who held both Dutch and Lebanese citizenship, had lived in the Netherlands before returning to Lebanon and settling in her grandmother's former home, which became The Orange House. Even after another Israel-Hezbollah conflict erupted in March, she refused to leave Lebanon, stating her intention to remain in her home. "She said I am a civilian, I have no weapons, I will shut my door," Jomaa recalled.

“

She was the last one to leave the area.

On June 4, an Israeli strike hit Khalil's home, critically injuring her and her domestic worker. While the intended target of the strike remains unclear, the Israeli military issued a statement asserting that Khalil "was not a target of the IDF" and that "there is no known IDF strike in which she was injured." The statement added that "strikes were conducted in the area after the IDF issued evacuation warnings" and expressed regret for any harm caused to civilians, affirming commitment to international law.

“

She said I am a civilian, I have no weapons, I will shut my door.

Despite initial hopes following surgery, Khalil succumbed to her wounds on Friday. Her dedication to conservation, particularly her efforts to protect endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles and document nesting activities, leaves a significant legacy.

“

Khalil 'was not a target of the IDF' and that 'there is no known IDF strike in which she was injured,' but added that 'strikes were conducted in the area after the IDF issued evacuation warnings.'