Killing of Pierre al-Rahi
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| Killing of Pierre al-Rahi | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2026 Lebanon war | |
  Al-Qlayaa | |
| Location | Al-Qlayaa, Lebanon |
| Date | 9 March 2026 |
| Target | House in Al-Qlayaa |
Attack type | Shelling |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 4 |
| Perpetrator |  Israel Defense Forces |
On 9 March 2026, Israeli forces killed priest Pierre al-Rahi in the village of Al-Qlayaa in Marjayoun, Southern Lebanon.[1]
An Israeli tank fired twice on a house in the Maronite Christian village of Al-Qlayaa resulting in the death of al-Rahi as well as four other people being injured.[1][2] The killing was condemned by Catholics.[2]
Since the start of the 2026 Lebanon war, thousands of residents from Southern Lebanon have fled the region. However, many of the Christians of the area, including the residents of Al-Qlayaa refused to leave despite warnings from Israel to do so.[3]
The day before the attack, Rahi spoke to the French news channel France24 stating: “We are forced to stay despite the danger, when we defend our land, and we do so peacefully. None of us carries weapons. All of us carry peace and goodness and love".[3][2]
That same day a Christian man, Sami Ghafari, was killed by an Israeli airstrike while in the garden of his home. His brother, Father Maroun Ghafari, is the parish priest of Aalma ash-Shaab and like al-Rahi encouraged Christians not to evacuate their villages and instead defend them.[4][5]
Attack
On 9 March 2026 around 2 P.M., an Israeli Merkava tank struck a house on the eastern edge of Al-Qlayya, injuring the owner and his wife. Father Pierre and ten other men rushed to the house to help and another shell hit the house, wounding Rahi and four others. Rahi and the others were rushed to a local hospital but he did not survive, dying before reaching the hospital door.[1][6][7][5][8][2][9][excessive citations]