I. General Introduction
Since their establishment in the aftermath of the 1948 Nakba, Palestinian camps in Lebanon have remained burdened by overlapping crises that worsen year after year. While originally intended as temporary shelters, these camps have over time transformed into enclosed environments deprived of the bare minimum of human rights.
This study surveys the reality of 12 Palestinian camps—stretching from the north to the south and the Beqaa region—based on field observations, live testimonies, official UNRWA data, and reports from local organizations.
This report does not merely document the facts; it sheds light on the depth of the collective suffering endured by refugees and reopens critical questions about justice, dignity, and international responsibility toward a people still waiting for a just peace that returns them to their land and homes.
II. Key Characteristics of the Humanitarian Crisis in the Camps
1. Poverty, Unemployment, and Food Insecurity
Field data indicates that poverty rates exceed 85% in most camps, with unprecedented levels of unemployment, especially among youth. A growing number of families depend on remittances, humanitarian aid, or irregular day labor. These conditions have led to dangerous levels of food insecurity and economic stagnation within the camps.
2. Deteriorating Education and Rising Dropout Rates
Despite UNRWA’s efforts, the education system in the camps suffers from structural deficiencies, including overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure, and lack of equipment. The previous "automatic promotion" policy has caused a decline in academic performance, with dropout rates reaching 16% in some schools. Kindergartens struggle to accommodate children due to a lack of facilities and modern educational tools.
3. Fragile Healthcare System and Declining Services
Most camps are experiencing a sharp decline in UNRWA’s health services due to funding cuts. There is a significant shortage of chronic disease medications, medical staff, and equipment. Hospitalization coverage has dropped to 60% or lower. This has exacerbated the suffering of patients with cancer, kidney failure, and chronic illnesses, forcing many to go into debt or abandon treatment.
4. Collapse of Infrastructure
Infrastructure in most camps is near total collapse. Housing suffers from overcrowding, poor ventilation, rainwater leakage, and tangled electrical and water networks. Power outages are constant, and in some camps, like Nahr al-Bared, drinking water has become salty and unfit for domestic use. These conditions create an unhealthy environment and increase disease outbreaks.
5. Legal Ambiguity and Institutional Discrimination
Although Lebanon has hosted Palestinian refugees for 75 years, its laws continue to deny them basic civil rights—chief among them the right to work and own property. The lack of legal documentation for many residents—especially those from Syria or unregistered individuals—deepens their legal and social vulnerability.
III. Selected Case Studies
Nahr al-Bared Camp (North)
Completely destroyed in 2007; 480 homes remain unreconstructed to this day.
Complex security measures isolate the camp and stifle economic activity.
Long-term relief programs have failed, and compensation remains unjust.
Beddawi Camp (North)
Unemployment exceeds 85%, with severe overcrowding due to the influx of displaced people from Nahr al-Bared and Syria.
The education system is strained; UNRWA schools suffer from poor coverage and limited capacity.
No sustainable infrastructure projects in place.
Shatila Camp (Beirut)
The highest population density of any camp in Lebanon, with extreme overcrowding and environmental degradation.
Rising domestic violence, deteriorating health and living conditions.
Lack of privacy and rampant pollution due to unregulated vertical expansion.
Ain al-Hilweh Camp (Sidon)
The largest Palestinian camp in Lebanon with over 70,000 refugees; a key demographic and political hub.
Despite its size, the camp faces systematic humanitarian neglect, lacking modern infrastructure and receiving minimal UNRWA services.
Severe shortages in educational and health facilities, high poverty and unemployment, growing informal settlements, and no sustainable development projects.
Lacks urban or environmental planning; high annual dropout rates and chronic illnesses amidst crumbling infrastructure.
Public discourse and media treat the camp exclusively through a security lens, focusing on the "Palestinian weapons” issue while ignoring the deep humanitarian crisis.
IV. Human Rights Perspective
The report highlights serious violations of the fundamental rights of Palestinian refugees, in clear contradiction to Lebanon’s international human rights obligations, including:
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966): As a state party, Lebanon is obligated to ensure the rights to education, health, work, and adequate housing for all without discrimination. The reality in the camps shows systemic denial of these rights.
Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989): Lebanon’s ratification entails a legal obligation to provide a safe educational and health environment for all children, including refugee children—yet the report reveals serious gaps in fulfilling this commitment.
Non-Discrimination Principle in International Human Rights Law: Legal and administrative practices that restrict Palestinians from employment, property ownership, and access to services amount to unjustified discrimination, violating Lebanon’s treaty obligations.
The report also sheds light on UNRWA’s failure to maintain even the minimum social safety nets—especially after the cancellation of emergency programs and the adoption of arbitrary policies that have excluded families from support—deepening the humanitarian crisis in the camps.
V. Evaluation of UNRWA’s Performance in Managing Camp Affairs
Despite being the only international body mandated to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, UNRWA's recent performance reveals alarming declines across several areas:
1. Declining Responsiveness in Vital Sectors
Health: Medical coverage has been reduced to 60%–90%, down from 100%, with shortages in essential medications, especially for chronic diseases.
Education: The two-shift system continues, with no educational development, overcrowded classrooms, and no effective programs to reduce dropouts.
Relief: Gradual elimination of emergency programs and cuts to financial assistance, including rent and food allowances.
2. Weak Community Participation
Refugee communities are not involved in decision-making or project prioritization, creating a gap between UNRWA and the refugees, and fostering a general sense of neglect and disempowerment.
3. Bureaucracy and Delays
UNRWA procedures, especially for reconstruction (as in Nahr al-Bared), are characterized by extreme delays, excessive bureaucracy, and slow project implementation—even when funding is available.
4. Targeted Exclusions and Delisting Policies
In recent years, numerous families have been removed from social support programs without transparent investigation or clear criteria, sparking accusations of double standards and discriminatory treatment.
5. Crisis Management: Absence of a Sustainable Strategy
UNRWA has yet to formulate a comprehensive emergency plan to address the fallout from Lebanon’s economic collapse, the displacement crisis from Syria, or infrastructure failures. Instead, the agency has relied on piecemeal and limited responses.
VI. Recommendations
To the Lebanese State:
Lift restrictions on refugees' rights to work and own property; end exclusionary legal policies.
Include camps in national development and emergency health plans.
To UNRWA:
Reverse service cuts and restore balanced, effective humanitarian support.
Develop urgent educational and health emergency plans for North Lebanon and Beirut.
To the International Community:
Launch a sustainable funding plan for UNRWA, independent of political blackmail.
Establish an independent monitoring mechanism to track agency and host country obligations.
Expand economic empowerment programs for youth and women.
Humanitarian Conclusion
The Palestinian refugee in Lebanon is not asking for privilege—only the basic right to live with dignity, even temporarily. Continuing to ignore this suffering deepens despair and paves the way for future social explosions. Today, the camps stand as a living testament to the international community’s failure to resolve the plight of a people uprooted from their land and now at risk of being uprooted from their memory and dignity as well.
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness), by presenting this report to international bodies, the media, and the public, calls for:
"A serious international dialogue to end the era of temporary relief and begin a new path toward lasting dignity."
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