By Kanishka Singh and Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An American from Dearborn, Michigan, was killed in Lebanon in an Israeli airstrike, according to the man’s daughter, friend and the U.S. congresswoman representing his constituency.
Democratic U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib’s office said on Wednesday it was in touch with Kamel Ahmad Jawad’s family, adding he was the Palestinian American congresswoman’s constituent and a U.S. citizen.
His daughter, Nadine Jawad, said in a statement that her father was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon on Tuesday “while trying to save innocent lives.” She added that in his final days, her father chose to stay near a hospital to help the elderly and the disabled.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Kamel Ahmad Jawad and our hearts go out to his family and friends. His death is a tragedy, as are the deaths of many civilians in Lebanon,” a White House spokesperson said separately on Wednesday.
Israel’s recent military campaign in Lebanon has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced over a million. Israel says it is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Jawad was in Lebanon taking care of his elderly mother, according to the Detroit News. His friend Hamzah Raza and local Dearborn groups also said on social media that Jawad was killed in an Israeli air strike and called him “one of the kindest and most generous humans.”
Reuters was unable to confirm the circumstances of Jawad’s death.
Washington has faced criticism for its support of its ally Israel, which is also waging a war in Gaza in which tens of thousands have been killed and nearly all of the enclave’s 2.3 million population displaced. Dearborn, where Jawad was from, has a large Arab American population.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Andrea Shalal in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien and Kim Coghill)
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