Key facts
- Marine ecologist Mona Khalil died on June 19 from wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on her home in south Lebanon.
- Khalil was a dedicated environmentalist known for her work protecting sea turtles in Mansouri.
- She established The Orange House, a center for conservation efforts and community engagement.
- Khalil trained volunteers and fought against coastal privatization and harmful fishing practices.
- Her death is seen by some as a targeted act due to her activism and symbolic role in southern Lebanon.
Marine ecologist Mona Khalil, renowned for her dedication to protecting sea turtles in southern Lebanon, has died following an Israeli strike on her home. Khalil, born in Nigeria in 1949 and later living in the Netherlands before returning to Lebanon in 1999, found her life's purpose after encountering a nesting sea turtle. This led her to establish The Orange House in her hometown of Mansouri, where she worked for over a decade to safeguard turtle nests from threats including predators, vehicles, and even UN forces seeking to hunt the animals.
Khalil trained generations of volunteers in environmental conservation, actively campaigning against coastal privatization, new building developments, and the use of dynamite in fishing, which contributed to the thriving turtle population in Mansouri. She also organized clean-ups of beaches, particularly after waste washed ashore from Israel. Her home, The Orange House, was described as a welcoming space and a symbol of resistance and life in the south.
Friends, including Ramy Khashab, believe Khalil was deliberately targeted by Israel due to her activism and her role as a symbol of life and resistance. Her assistant, Hawi, was with her in her final moments and alerted the Lebanese army. Hundreds gathered in Beirut to pay tribute to Khalil, with many seeing her death as part of the broader toll of Israeli attacks in the region. Her legacy is considered immortal, with her conservation work serving as a model for other beaches in southern Lebanon.