UNRWA halts services in Lebanon camp to protest Palestinian gunmen on site

Decision comes as armed men remain at UN facilities after deadly clashes between rival groups at camp earlier this month; refugee agency says services will resume Saturday

File: A Palestinian woman receives medicine from a doctor at a clinic run by the agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
File: A Palestinian woman receives medicine from a doctor at a clinic run by the agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said it has decided to suspend all of its services in Lebanon’s largest refugee camp on Friday in protest against the presence of gunmen in its facilities.

UNRWA’s decision went into effect shortly before noon Friday at the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon. Services will resume Saturday, UNRWA said.

Days of street battles took place in the camp between the Fatah group of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and two Islamic terror groups, Jund al-Sham and Shabab al-Muslim. The clashes broke out on July 30, after Fatah accused its rivals of shooting dead a senior Fatah military official.

The fighting killed at least 13 people, injured dozens, and caused millions of dollars of damage in the camp, according to UNRWA officials.

Lebanese security forces don’t operate inside the refugee camps, where security is in the hands of Palestinian factions who often compete for clout.

UNRWA said in its statement Friday that armed fighters are still present in its facilities, including schools. It added that UNRWA reiterates its call on armed actors to immediately vacate its facilities, “to ensure unimpeded delivery of much-needed assistance to refugees.”

File: Members of the Palestinian Fatah group run to take position during clashes that erupted with Islamist factions in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, on July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

UNRWA said it “does not tolerate actions that breach the inviolability and neutrality of its installations.” It added that schools are unlikely to be available for 3,200 children at the start of the new school year given repeated violations and significant damage reported.

Ein el-Hilweh is home to more than 50,000 people and is the largest of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

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