The northern entrance to the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, near Saida, South Lebanon, Aug. 2, 2023. (Credit: Mountasser Abdallah)
BEIRUT — UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has suspended all of its services in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp as of Friday morning due to the continued presence of "armed fighters" in the agency's facilities in the camp.
The agency also warned that start of the school year in the camp is likely to be delayed due to the presence of "armed fighters" in several buildings, including schools, in the camp, UNRWA.
The fighters have reportedly occupied the agencies' buildings since last month's deadly clashes in the camp, which is located near Saida in South Lebanon.
UNRWA, which operates schools and clinics in the camp and provides food aid to refugees, made its announcement in a statement issued Friday.
Deadly clashes between Islamist factions and the nationalist Fatah movement broke out in the camp last month, leaving at least 13 people dead, many injured and causing extensive damage. The fighting forced some 350 families to flee the camp, Lebanon's largest, to Saida.
Call to 'immediately vacate'
"UNRWA has decided to suspend all of its services within Ain al-Hilweh camp today at 11:30 a.m. in protest against the continued presence of armed fighters in its facilities, including schools … The agency does not tolerate actions that breach the inviolability and neutrality of its installations," said a statement.
The schools concerned "are unlikely to be available for 3,200 children at the start of the new school year given repeated violations, and significant damage reported," the text added. The statement went on to call on fighters to "immediately vacate" UNWRA's facilities so as "to ensure unimpeded delivery of much-needed assistance to Palestine refugees."
According to our correspondent in the south, who quoted sources in the camp, the UNRWA buildings in which the fighters are located are "in the center" of the areas where the clashes took place. The armed members there are mainly from Islamist factions, although Fatah is also deployed in some areas and refuses to withdraw from buildings it considers strategic. Our correspondent also cited his sources as explaining that the refusal to withdraw from buildings is so as not to give ground to opponents, despite the work of a commission of inquiry and cooperation between the parties to calm tensions.
UNRWA buildings and schools suffered extensive damage during the clashes.
In a press release, the "Committee 302" association, which defines itself as a media platform covering the Palestinian camps, condemned "the use of UNRWA schools in the camp for armed actions."
However, it also denounced the agency's decision to suspend its services, describing such a move as one that "deprives 60,000 Palestinian refugee beneficiaries."
Ain al-Hilweh is the largest of Lebanon's 12 Palestinian camps, hosting around 80,000 of the country's 250,000 Palestinian refugees.
Additional reporting by Muntasser Abdallah