Palestine security force deploys in refugee camp in Lebanon.

Palestine security force deploys in refugee camp in Lebanon

A Palestine security force has been deployed in a school complex in Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon, reports The Associated Press (AP), September 29.

The southern based refugee camp is the largest Palestinian camp in Lebanon which security forces descended onto the area on September 29.

Palestinian security forces have replaced gunmen who were based in the camp as violent clashes in July broke out, resulting in the deaths of 30 people.

The security forces include 55 people from The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Asbat al-Ansar, and Hamas as the school complex faced significant damages caused by the gunmen.

As the school year starts in early October, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had been calling for the armed group to disperse from the complex.

The UNRWA was formed in 1949 shortly after the 1948 Palestine War in which many Palestinians were displaced. The UN agency has strongly supported the rights of refugees since its formation and as of 2019, over 5.6 million Palestinians are registered with the agency as refugees.

The United Nations has to some extent stood up for Palestinian people as they continue to face oppression from the Israeli State, who continue to flout international law. In August 2022, UN experts condemned the Israeli attack on Palestinian human rights organisations.

The experts were alarmed at the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) breaking into the offices of at least seven human rights groups in the occupied West Bank and forcefully closing them down.

The experts noted that, “These actions amount to severe suppression of human rights defenders and are illegal and unacceptable,”.

The complex contains eight schools and the UNRWA said that over 11,000 Palestinian children in South Lebanon would not be able to join their classmates for the start of the school year, on October 2.

“All our eight schools inside the camp have been taken over by armed groups.” stressed Dorothee Klaus, the UNRWA’s director in Lebanon.

A ceasefire agreement was reached on September 14 as 18 were murdered and over 100 were injured in violent scenes that shocked Lebanon’s Southern region.