A roadblock in Ain al-Hilweh, Aug. 12, 2023. (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah / L'Orient Today)
Angry residents of Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp blocked the main road of the camp's Hettin neighborhood with burning tires Saturday, residents reported to L'Orient-Le Jour. They were protesting their having received "no compensation for the property damage" incurred during clashes that broke out in the camp on July 29.
At least 13 people were killed in the clashes, which for several days pitted fighters from the Fatah movement against gunmen close to radical Islamist factions. The fighting was the deadliest in several years, forcing some 350 families to take refuge outside the camp.
"We've been sleeping in schools for a fortnight now, and no one turns to us!" shouted an angry demonstrator Saturday.
"We want to go back to our homes! They destroyed them for us and they have to restore them!" he continued.
Ain al-Hilweh is home to an estimated 80,000 Palestinian refugees. It is regularly the scene of clashes springing from personal disputes and tensions between various Palestinian factions.
Additional reporting by Muntasser Abdallah.