BEIRUT: Thousands of children have been put at risk amid a resurgence of violence at a Palestine refugee camp in Lebanon, the UN’s top humanitarian official in the country said.
Clashes between rival factions in the Ein el Hilweh camp, the largest in Lebanon, have also displaced thousands of refugees, according to reports.
Armed groups have taken over eight schools run by UNRWA, the UN agency providing support to Palestine refugees, preventing around 6,000 children from accessing the classroom as a new school year gets underway.
“Education institutions must be safe and neutral spaces, critical for children’s learning, well-being, and growth,” Imran Riza, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, said in a statement.
He underscored that use of schools by armed groups are not only a serious violation of international humanitarian and human rights laws but also jeopardize the future of the entire community.
“I urge armed groups to stop the fighting in the camp and vacate these schools immediately. I also call for the facilitation of the work of UNRWA and other humanitarian organizations to provide much-needed protection and assistance to families in need in the camp,” Riza added.
Established in 1948, Ein el Hilweh camp is the largest among the 12 in Lebanon and is home to around 50,000 refugees. It is located near Saida, a major city and cultural hub, in the country’s south.
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The camp was the scene of brutal clashes in July that claimed the lives of at least 13 people, injured more than 60 – including UNRWA staff – and forced thousands to flee.
Two UNRWA schools also sustained damage in the clashes and services at clinics run by the agency were suspended. The clinics reopened on 9 August, after a nervy ceasefire.
In his statement, Riza underlined that protecting civilians, including children and their safe access to school, is a shared responsibility.
He said all concerned actors must take action to protect civilians, facilitate unhindered humanitarian access, and prevent the use of civilian infrastructure for fighting purposes.
The clashes between rival factions have resumed in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, with heavy gunfire and shelling wounding at least 20 people and prompting residents of the camp and the surrounding area to flee.
There have previously been several days of street battles in the Ein el-Hilweh camp between the factions after Fatah accused the groups of shooting dead one of their military generals on July 30.
Those street battles left at least 13 dead and dozens wounded and forced hundreds to flee from their homes. A committee of Palestinian factions in Ein el-Hilweh announced that their joint security forces would launch raids in search of the accused killers.
