image copyrightEPA
1 hour ago
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced the suspension of its services inside the Ain al-Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon, starting today, Friday.
UNRWA said in a statement that the decision to suspend its services came in response to the continued presence of gunmen inside its facilities, including its schools.
The UN agency added that it “does not tolerate any violation of the sanctity and neutrality of its facilities.”
It also called on all militants to vacate its facilities immediately, in order to ensure that aid and services are provided to the camp residents without any obstacles.
Also, according to the statement, it is unlikely that UNRWA schools inside the camp will be ready to receive 3,200 children at the beginning of the next academic year, given the “repeated violations and significant damage” they have suffered.
Earlier, UNRWA received reports it described as “disturbing”, according to which armed parties belonging to the competing Palestinian factions are still controlling their facilities in Ain El-Hilweh camp.
Bloody clashes
At the end of last July, the Ain al-Hilweh camp witnessed armed clashes between the security forces of the “Fatah” movement, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and rival Islamic groups, which lasted for days before reaching a cease-fire agreement that was supervised by the “Palestinian Action Committee.” subscriber”.
image copyrightReuters
photo comment,
Smoke rises from the Ain al-Hilweh camp during the recent clashes in July
The clashes resulted in the death of 14 people, the wounding of more than 60 others, and the displacement of many camp families.
Soldiers in the Lebanese army, which is deployed at fixed checkpoints at the entrances to the camp, were also injured, as its centers and observation points were exposed to fire.
Since the late 1990s, the largest Palestinian camp in Lebanon, which is described as the capital of the diaspora, has been witnessing intermittent clashes. It is left to the rival factions within it to maintain its security, but factional disputes are common.
The Ain al-Hilweh camp, located near the southern city of Sidon, was established in 1948 and houses more than 63,000 registered refugees, according to the United Nations. Some estimates put the population even higher.
UNRWA says that more than 479,000 Palestinian refugees are registered with the agency in Lebanon. She adds that about half of them live in “harsh” living conditions.
UNRWA was established in 1949 and provides public services including schools, primary health care and humanitarian aid in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Lebanon is one of the most Arab countries that includes 12 Palestinian refugee camps, the most important of which are the Nahr Al-Bared camp in the north, Ain Al-Hilweh and Burj Al-Shamali camps in the south, and Mar Elias camp in Beirut.
2023-08-18 18:52:26
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