Beirut, August 18, 2023 (Xinhua) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced today (Friday) the suspension of all its services inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, in protest against the continued presence of armed men in its facilities.
The agency said in a statement that it had “decided to suspend all its services inside the Ain al-Hilweh camp, in protest against the continued presence of armed men in its facilities in the camp, including schools.”
The agency stressed that it “does not tolerate any violation of the sanctity and neutrality of its facilities.”
“It is unlikely that the schools in the camp will be ready to receive 3,200 children at the beginning of the next academic year, given the repeated violations, including those that occurred in the past, and the significant damage that was reported,” she said.
The agency renewed its call to “the armed forces to immediately evacuate their facilities to ensure that urgent assistance is provided to Palestine refugees without any hindrance.”
Yesterday (Thursday), the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, Dorothy Klaus, announced that it had received “disturbing” reports that armed parties were still occupying a school complex in Ain Al-Hilweh Palestine refugee camp, demanding its immediate evacuation.
She warned that UNRWA facilities were damaged as a result of the recent fighting in the camp, noting that the compound contains 4 UNRWA schools.
It called on the concerned authorities to vacate their premises immediately so that they can resume vital services and provide assistance to all Palestine refugees in need.
UNRWA’s services include education, health care, relief, infrastructure and camp improvement, community support and emergency response, including in times of armed conflict.
On July 29, clashes erupted in Ain al-Hilweh camp, which lasted for several days, between gunmen from Islamic factions and forces affiliated with the “Fatah” movement, before they stopped under a cease-fire agreement supervised by the “Palestinian Joint Action Committee” committees.
The clashes resulted in 13 deaths and about 60 injuries in the camp, which is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, as it includes about 54,000 registered refugees, according to the United Nations, while other unofficial estimates indicate that the number of camp refugees exceeds 60,000, including thousands of Palestinians fleeing the conflict in Syria. . /ts/
2023-08-18 14:27:30
#UNRWA #suspends #services #Ain #ElHilweh #camp #Lebanon #protest #presence #armed #men #facilities