Renowned environmental activist dies after Israeli attack
Mona Khalil died after an Israeli strike on her home earlier this month
Environmental activist Mona Khalil, known for her decades-long effort to protect a nesting site for turtles near her home, has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli strike, according to international reports.
Earlier this month, an Israeli airstrike hit her house, known as the Orange House, on Mansouri beach near Tyre. Khalil was severely wounded and was moved to an intensive-care unit in Beirut. According to friends, she succumbed to her injuries on Friday.
Her assistant was injured.
Khalil, 76, dedicated her life to protecting the endangered loggerhead and sea turtles that nest along Lebanon's southern coast.
She ran the Orange House Project, an ecotourism project situated at al-Mansouri beach, helped document marine life in southern Lebanon, and advocated against the pollution of Lebanon's coastline.
During the Lebanese civil war of 1975-90, Khalil moved to the Netherlands, and later, in 1999, she returned to her family's land, where one evening she had a chance encounter with a turtle digging a nest in the sand on the beach.
She later painted her house orange, to match the Netherlands' national colour, which she said had given her refuge during a time of need.
She also opened her home to tourists, who were given the chance to witness and help hatching turtles and take part in protecting their vulnerable populations.
The Lebanese wildlife conservation group, Green Southerners, mourned the loss of Khalil, who they said inspired generations of Lebanese to value and protect their natural heritage.
"Her work made her one of Lebanon’s most respected voices for marine conservation and biodiversity protection," the group said, adding that they condemned the attacks that claimed Khalil's life and injured her assistant.
"The strike targeted a site that had long been known for environmental conservation, biodiversity protection, and public awareness. 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."