Pierre al-Rai, a priest from the village of Qlaya (Marjayoun district), killed in an Israeli attack on the locality on March 9, 2026. (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah)
Pierre al-Rai, a priest from Qlaya (Marjayoun district), was killed on Monday in this Christian locality of southern Lebanon by one of two shells fired by Israeli artillery in the middle of the afternoon, according to information reported by our correspondent.
The clergyman, who was at his home at the time of the incident, died of his injuries, while four other wounded people were transported to Marjayoun Hospital.
"We do not know why our village was bombed. The reason for the targeting is unclear. Qlaya is a safe locality. The house that was hit is at the eastern edge of the village. We first heard an explosion, then the residents saw smoke rising from a house to the east, and everyone rushed to the scene," Qlaya mayor Hanna Daher told our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
"When we arrived, we found that the house had been hit by artillery fire and that there were injured people inside," he continued. "As we tried to evacuate the wounded people, a second shell exploded in the house. We narrowly escaped a massacre, as there were many of us present. In spite of this, several people were wounded, including the priest Pierre al-Rai, who died of his injuries," he added.
"We do not know what the justification is for this shelling. Some say there were groups in the house, but that is false. Those are lies. There were only the residents of the house and people from the village who came to help the injured," he said. "We are peaceful people, and we do not harm anyone. Our village is safe. All we ask is to be able to stay in our homes in peace. We will stay here, and we will not leave. We do not know if there is a plan to displace us, but we will remain on our land, and we will not leave it."
The situation in southern Lebanon has significantly intensified, with an increase in Israeli shelling, often targeting residential homes.
