Ain al-Hilweh camp, located in the city of Saida in southern Lebanon, was established in 1948 following the massacres and crimes committed by Zionist gangs against the Palestinian people, which became known as the Palestinian Nakba. Its area is 1.5 square kilometers. It is the largest Palestinian camp in Lebanon and the most densely populated. Its population is estimated to be 75 thousand Palestinian refugees, and its overcrowding is due to more Palestinian refugees who moved there fleeing their destroyed camps during the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, such as the Tal al-Zaatar camp and the Nabatieh camp, which was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in 1974. In addition, Palestinian refugees who fled Syria due to the war on the country are living there too. Furthermore, Lebanese and Syrian families and even multiple other nationalities are settled in this camp.

Ain al-Hilweh camp was made up of tents set up by the United Nations Agency UNRWA. Then, the tents turned into random residential cement apartments with tin roofing. Residents of these houses began to suffer from humidity and poor ventilation, as the sunlight couldn’t reach the inside of the houses due to the limited space; a situation exacerbated by the fact that Palestinian refugees have no right to own property outside the camps. Residential apartments rose vertically despite the strict restrictions imposed by the Lebanese security forces on bringing construction materials into the Palestinian camps, considering the matter from a security point of view and not from a humanitarian one. Subsequently, the Lebanese Army controls all entrances leading to the camp, and a cement barrier was erected around the camp, which the Palestinian refugees consider to be a form of siege. Nevertheless, it has become a reality.

Due to the deprivation of Palestinian refugees from working in Lebanon under Lebanese law, poverty rates inside Ain al-Hilweh camp rose to 90%, and after the cutback of UNRWA’s services and aid due to the lack of international funding, the rate of illegal immigration increased. So, Palestinian refugees had only one thing on their minds, which was changing their tragic reality. Smuggling networks became active, especially after the economic crisis in Lebanon. Some residents of Ain al-Hilweh sold their homes to immigrate to European countries. However, some of these countries did not receive them, so they became homeless and unemployed, and some of them even vanished and drowned in the sea.

Despite all this tragedy, the Ain al-Hilweh camp was subjected to destruction during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 to eliminate the Palestinian refugees, and what happened in the Sabra and Shatila massacre in September of the same year is clear evidence of their intent. The battle with the Israeli occupation army in the Ain al-Hilweh camp continued for two consecutive weeks. At the time, the Palestinians decided not to surrender and took the decision to confront the enemy, preventing the Israeli army from infiltrating the camp that had been completely destroyed. Adults and 14-year-old children, who were later known as “RPG” children, led the battle. Since that time, the Ain al-Hilweh camp has become a refuge for people who have no shelter, turning into a 1948 Palestinian village in miniature. Inside, you will find pictures of Al-Quds, national slogans, and old keys of Palestinian homes to which they still hope to return.

As the suffering continued, the Israeli occupation government was not satisfied with stopping its aggression against all Palestinian camps, whether in Lebanon, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Syria, or Jordan... as it considers that dismantling the camps is the only solution to eliminate the right of return of Palestinian refugees, which it never despairs of achieving. The Israeli government continued planning to implement this project, which was confirmed in the Netanyahu-Trump deal known as the "Deal of the Century" in 2020, which stipulated the dispersion of Palestinian refugees in various Islamic countries.

Today, the Israeli occupation forces are attacking the camps in the West Bank, such as Balata, Shuafat, Jenin, and Ain Shams camps... which are located on the outskirts of the cities, with the aim of eliminating the right of return of refugees. Israelis are expanding illegal settlements by demolishing Palestinian homes, Judaizing the region, and forcing expulsions. The same applies to the Gaza Strip, where immigration projects were launched, and the number of immigrants ranges between 800 and 1,000 Palestinians in search of a new life due to their suffering from the unjust Israeli siege. Some Palestinian refugee camps in Syria were destroyed after armed groups took control of them.

Related News

The West Bank is on the verge of catastrophe

Resistance and regime change in occupied Palestine

As for the camps in Lebanon, after the destruction of the Nabatieh and Tal al-Zaatar camps, followed by Nahr al-Bared camp in 2007, people were displaced. The same case applies today to Ain al-Hilweh camp after the Al-Qaeda-affiliated armed groups tried to impose their control on the Ain al-Hilweh camp and killed the Palestinian National Security Commander, Al-Armushi, in order to disrupt both Palestinian and Lebanese security ties, and then go on to destroy the camp. The evidence is clear: Tents were already set up outside the camp for refugees. High pressure is being exerted on the international community to displace the Palestinians and implement the plan of the Israeli government to eliminate the Palestinian camps. 

The people of Ain al-Hilweh camp are experiencing unprecedented tragedy and suffering, as families have been displaced and no longer have a safe haven to shelter themselves from the ongoing battles with extremist armed groups. Palestinians have been caught in the crossfire: They want to preserve their right to return and maintain a decent living.

In short, there is a belief that the battles taking place today in Ain al-Hilweh camp have dimensions related to the internal Lebanese crisis in order to pressure the election of a president after 9 months of vacuum and the resignation of the Lebanese government. Other regional dimensions are reportedly related to the international policy to limit amped-up resistance in the West Bank.

Therefore, Palestinians refuse to be a mailbox carrying regional and foreign policy messages. They demand an immediate ceasefire, in order to avoid the destruction of Ain al-Hilweh camp and the implementation of the Israeli plan.

We call on the international community and human rights and relief institutions to help the Palestinian refugees who left Ain al-Hilweh camp with their families and are afflicted with tragedy to provide them with food, housing, medicine, treatment, education... until the end of the battles against the armed groups. The latter's goals certainly do not serve the Palestinian national project, which includes the establishment of a Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital and the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes, in accordance with international resolutions.