The Moving Funeral of Radwan Commander Ibrahim Aqil

Hezbollah fighters stand at attention at the funeral of Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil on Sunday, September 22, 2024 in Beirut's southern suburbs. (Marwan Bou Haidar/The Public Source)

Fists of resolve rise in the air and handfuls of rice fall on the coffin. Under the banner, “we will not abandon Palestine,” mourners, in their hundreds, if not thousands, assemble for the funeral of senior Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil, on Sunday, September 22, 2024 in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburb.

The martyr had been part of the resistance since its founding in the wake of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, Aqil was a field commander in the struggle to liberate the South, and in 2006, he lent his long experience to foil Israel’s attempt to re-invade and occupy. Decades of his life were dedicated to training fighters and ensuring readiness and continuity for the resistance. In 2006, he formed Hezbollah’s elite unit, the Radwan Force, which he led until his martyrdom. On September 20, Israel assassinated him for honoring a principled, military commitment to the resistance in Gaza and the liberation of Palestine.

In the same attack that afternoon, Israel killed at least 31 people and injured 68, according to the Public Health Ministry. An F-35 struck two apartment buildings as families gathered for lunch or returned home from work or school.