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Mona Khalil dies
Lebanese marine ecologist Mona Khalil died on Friday after being critically injured in an Israeli strike on her home near Tyre, with the Business Standard saying the 77-year-old conservationist died from her injuries as Israel intensified air attacks on southern Lebanon.
“Lebanese turtle conservationist Mona Khalil killed by Israeli strike Lebanese environmental activist Mona Khalil, whose work helped turn a stretch of coastline in southern Lebanon into one of the eastern Mediterranean's most important nesting sites for endangered sea turtles, has died after being wounded in an Israeli strike”
The Times of Israel said Khalil, 76, was critically injured in an Israeli strike on June 4 that hit her home in the village of Mansouri, around 10 kilometers (six miles) south of the coastal city of Tyre, and that she was hospitalized at the American University of Beirut Medical Center before succumbing on Friday.
The BBC reported that Khalil, 76, was injured when her house on Mansouri beach, near the southern city of Tyre, was hit during Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon two weeks ago and that she died on Friday after several days in hospital.
The Business Standard quoted Live Love Tyre’s Facebook statement saying, "It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Mona Khalil today," and the BBC quoted Hisham Younes, founder and president of Green Southerners, saying, "She is a deeply committed environmental defender."
Tributes and dispute
Green Southerners described Khalil’s work as decades of protecting endangered sea turtles and their nesting habitats, while the Jerusalem Post said her home was hit by an Israeli airstrike on June 4 and that she succumbed to her injuries on June 19.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israel Defense Forces told CNN that Khalil was not a "target" and that "there is no known IDF strike in which she was injured," while acknowledging strikes were conducted in the area around her home village after the IDF issued evacuation warnings.
The Business Standard said Khalil’s journey into turtle conservation began in 1999 after she saw a turtle coming ashore to lay eggs on al-Mansouri beach near Tyre, and it said she worked for decades to safeguard nesting grounds for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles along Lebanon's southern coastline.
The Times of Israel quoted Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa program director Julien Jreissati saying, "dedicated decades of her life to protecting the sea turtles and coastline of Mansouri," and the Jerusalem Post quoted Green Southerners writing that Khalil’s death "stands as a stark reminder of the ongoing violence in southern Lebanon is exacting a devastating toll."
What is at stake
Multiple outlets tied Khalil’s death to the future of the Orange House Project and the conservation work it supported near Mansouri beach, with the BBC saying she helped establish the Orange House Project in 2000 and that it evolved into a centre for environmental education, wildlife protection and marine research.
“Tributes paid to Lebanon conservationist killed in Israeli strike Activists and campaign groups on Saturday paid tribute to Lebanese environmentalist Mona Khalil who died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike in the country's south, where she dedicated her life to turtle conservation for decades”
The Guardian said Khalil hosted volunteers to clean and monitor a mile-long beach and welcomed tourists to stay and learn about conservation, while also noting that an Israeli airstrike hit her house earlier this month and that her assistant suffered burns but was recovering.
The Business Standard said Khalil worked to safeguard nesting grounds for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles and that both species face severe threats from coastal development, plastic waste, fishing nets and light pollution, and are at risk change of disappearing from the eastern Mediterranean.
The BBC quoted Maha Joumaa saying Khalil "absolutely refused to be displaced, which was fitting for someone so determined," and the Guardian quoted Green Southerners saying, "Her death stands as a stark reminder of the devastating toll that Israeli attacks continue to exact on civilians, environmental defenders, and the natural heritage they sought to protect."
