Pierre al-Rahi

Father Pierre al-Rahi served as the Maronite Catholic parish priest of Qlayaa, a Christian village of approximately 8,000 residents in southern Lebanon's Marjayoun district. He was originally from the nearby village of Dibeh. The village, located near the Israeli border, had largely been spared from direct fighting in the months preceding his death.

On March 9, 2026, a civilian home in Qlayaa was struck twice by fire from an Israeli Merkava tank. Father al-Rahi rushed to the scene to help the wounded occupants. He was critically injured during this rescue attempt and later died from his wounds at a hospital. The day before the incident, he had reportedly refused Israeli evacuation orders, telling France24 he would remain to defend his village peacefully.

His death occurred during a period of escalated hostilities along the Lebanon-Israel border, which had intensified in February 2026. The fighting involved exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, impacting civilian areas on both sides of the frontier.

News of his death was reported by international media, including France24, which had interviewed him shortly before the attack. His killing was noted as a rare instance of a Christian religious figure being killed in the border clashes, drawing attention to the risks to civilians and humanitarian responders in the conflict zone.

Father al-Rahi was remembered locally for his commitment to his parish and his decision to stay with his community despite the dangers. His death underscored the peril faced by civilians and first responders in active combat areas.

Pierre al-Rahi was killed during the Minab School Strike, Iran (ongoing since February 2026). See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Hana Dehqani, Fatemeh Salari, Reza Habashian, Arya Bahadori.

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