The entrance to the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. (Credit: Mountasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
The U.N. Agency for Palestine Refugees in the region (UNRWA) announced on Monday the closure of a shelter for displaced people at the Deir al-Qasi school in the Palestinian refugee camp of Mieh Mieh, near Saida.
The decision, signed by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, was prompted by the “violation of humanitarian principles” at the shelter. “Despite our efforts to maintain an environment that adheres to humanitarian principles, these were not respected at the Deir al-Qasi school shelter, leading to this decision,” the statement said.
The announcement followed an earlier decision by UNRWA’s Lebanon director, Dorothée Klaus, to withdraw staff and remove U.N. flags from schools in the Palestinian refugee camps of Aen al-Hilweh and Mieh Mieh.
According to our correspondent in the region, the announcement has sparked anger and concern among local residents. Some 91 displaced Palestinian families, approximately 370 people, had sought refuge in these schools after fleeing camps further south, including the Rashidieh refugee camp in Sour.
The displaced families have opposed UNRWA’s decision, viewing it as an abandonment of its protective role. They staged a sit-in protest and refused to leave the shelter.
Palestinian factions angered
“We understand this decision may cause anxiety and confusion within the local community. However, adherence to humanitarian principles is essential to ensure the safety of displaced people and our staff,” the statement added. It said UNRWA had offered to “relocate those affected by this decision to other shelters” and reaffirmed the agency’s support for “displaced people during this difficult period.”
Although Klaus had called for the relocation of these displaced families to refugee camps further north, the move has angered Palestinian factions and popular committees in the Ain al-Hilweh camp.
A source within the popular committees, speaking to our correspondent, said the committees had taken over supervision of the school after what they described as UNRWA’s “abandonment.” They pledged to continue meeting the needs of the displaced families.
Fouad Othman, a regional leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) in Saida, called the decision an “injustice.”
“We don’t understand the reasoning behind these decisions,” he told us. “It’s unfair and puts the school at great risk. We urge UNRWA to reverse its decision immediately and to support our displaced people by providing all the necessary resources for their survival under these difficult circumstances.”
The Ain al-Hilweh camp was targeted a week ago by an Israeli airstrike aimed at Mounir Maqdah, the leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Fatah. At least five people were killed and several others wounded.
The day before, in the nearby Ain al-Delb neighborhood, another Israeli airstrike killed at least 32 people.