Hamas in Lebanon marks second anniversary of 'al-Aqsa Flood' operation in Sour

Hamas on Monday marked the second anniversary of its "al-Aqsa Flood" operation on Oct. 7, 2023, in a hall at the Burj al-Shemali Palestinian camp near Sour, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Hezbollah MP Hussein Jichi hailed “the patience, resilience and sacrifices of the families of the martyrs” who fell for “a right that is being targeted for confiscation.” He added that “standing by the causes of truth and freedom, foremost among them Palestine, constitutes a moral and human duty, and is the responsibility of every free person in this world.”

Commenting on the Trump agreement to end the war in Gaza, under discussion Monday in Egypt, Hamas political official in Sour Abdel Majid al-Awad said that “the movement and the resistance factions will not allow the passage of any agreement that undermines the national principles of the Palestinian people, their right to self-determination, the establishment of their state and the end of the occupation.”

He claimed that “the blood of the martyrs who fell ... in the camps of Lebanon is a continuation of the blood shed by their brothers in Gaza and Palestine, serving as living proof that we are one people, sharing the same destiny.”

The day after the Hamas operation, Hezbollah opened a “support front” to Gaza, which evolved into open warfare a year later, when Israel launched a major offensive in Lebanon called “Northern Arrows,” which ended with a cease-fire on Nov. 27, 2024. The Burj al-Shemali camp, home to more than 10,000 people, was bombed by Israel on Oct. 27, 2024, in a strike on a United Nations school for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), killing five.

Finally, Awad stressed that “the cause of the refugees in Lebanon is the right of return to the homeland and the rejection of displacement and naturalization schemes,” a highly sensitive issue in Lebanon.

Officially, UNRWA recognizes and provides services to 12 camps throughout Lebanon. Under a 1969 agreement, the Lebanese Army is not allowed to enter these camps, but it controls access to these overcrowded areas, where various Palestinian factions ensure security.

Some of these factions remain heavily armed, and Palestinian militias in southern Lebanon have been accused of firing projectiles at Israel in March, triggering deadly retaliations. Suspects were handed over to the army by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas at the entrance to Lebanon’s largest camp, Ain al-Hilweh, on the outskirts of Saida.

The disarmament of Palestinian camps in Lebanon officially began on Aug. 21, two months later than planned, according to the Cabinet’s decision, which followed a visit by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to Lebanon in May. So far, the process has involved arms collection in several camps in Beirut and Sour.

No agreement has yet been announced with Hamas on any handover of its arsenal to Lebanese authorities. Restoring the state monopoly on weapons is a top priority for President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government.