Masked Hamas supporters at a rally in Beirut on Oct. 31, 2023, in the wake of the Gaza war. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L’Orient-Le Jour)
Hamas has been weakened, but it retains a foothold in Lebanon. Three years after Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas' Lebanese branch has not disappeared entirely, at least not politically. While the Islamist movement once maintained a permanent and fairly influential presence in Lebanon, the regional war has severely shaken its external apparatus, particularly as Israel has assassinated many of the organization's key leaders in the country. Among them were Saleh Arouri, one of its most important officials, whose responsibilities included relations with Hezbollah and Iran; Khalil Kharaz; Hadi Mustafa; and, most recently, Wassim Atallah al-Ali, who was killed in March 2026 in the Beddawi camp in northern Lebanon. Gaza, 3 years later Three years after Oct. 7, Palestinians caught between fragile hope and devastating loss As a result,...
Hamas has been weakened, but it retains a foothold in Lebanon. Three years after Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas' Lebanese branch has not disappeared entirely, at least not politically. While the Islamist movement once maintained a permanent and fairly influential presence in Lebanon, the regional war has severely shaken its external apparatus, particularly as Israel has assassinated many of the organization's key leaders in the country. Among them were Saleh Arouri, one of its most important officials, whose responsibilities included relations with Hezbollah and Iran; Khalil Kharaz; Hadi Mustafa; and, most recently, Wassim Atallah al-Ali, who was killed in March 2026 in the Beddawi camp in northern Lebanon. Gaza, 3 years later Three years after Oct. 7, Palestinians caught between fragile hope and devastating loss As a result,...
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