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UNRWA condemns escalating violence in Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon

December 8, 2016 at 3:49 pm

UNRWA yesterday condemned armed clashes in the refugee camp of Ain Al-Hilweh in southern Lebanon for endangering the lives of civilians.

Ain Al-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, has recently been the site of confrontations between the Lebanese army and gunmen.

UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness denounced the impact the violence has had on the population of the camp, saying that fighting near four UNRWA schools in the camp was “putting at considerable risk the lives of students.”

Gunness added that an armed individual entered UNRWA schools earlier this week – in contravention of the neutrality and inviolability of United Nations facilities – and ordered students to leave.

While no injuries were reported during the incident, UNRWA said that the “increased risks to civilian lives” led the organisation to close all of its facilities on Monday and Wednesday.

“As a humanitarian organisation we are significantly concerned that armed violence and disturbances taking place in Ain Al-Hilweh, where tens of thousands of Palestine refugees live, affects the security, safety and the enjoyment of rights of its residents including children’s rights to education,” Gunness said.

The UNRWA condemnation came weeks after the Lebanese military halted construction of a “security wall” around Ain Al-Hilweh, caving to mounting criticisms.

The largest and most crowded refugee camp in Lebanon, Ain Al-Hilweh is home to some 54,116 registered refugees, the descendants of Palestinians who fled their villages during the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, according to the UN.

However, the population significantly increased since 2011 as a result of the Syrian war, as Palestinians have been displaced a second time from refugee camps across Syria, with development non-profit organisation Anera estimating the camp’s population to be closer to 120,00