Palestinian refugees in Lebanon’s Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan and celebrate the Eid al-Fitr despite their difficult living conditions.
The PIC reporter said that Palestinian refugees started buying Eid clothing despite the difficult economic crisis hitting the camp for long months.
Ain al-Hilweh camp market opened its doors ahead of the Eid al-Fitr after a long period of stagnation due to the difficult living conditions.
The Ein El-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp (EHC) located 3 km south-east of Saida was established near the city of Sidon in 1948 by the International Committee of the Red Cross to accommodate refugees from northern Palestine. It became the biggest camp in Lebanon in terms of both population and area size.
An estimated 130000 people reside in and around the camp in an area of one square km.
Around 400000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps. This number accounts for 9% of the total number of Palestinians registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) worldwide.
All 12 official refugee camps in Lebanon suffer from serious problems – no proper infrastructure overcrowding poverty and unemployment.
The local merchant Sami Abd al-Wahhab affirmed that Ain al-Hilweh market started witnessing an intense movement ahead of Eid al-Fitr.
He further pointed out that local markets are always affected by the global economic conditions saying that several charity associations are helping people with limited incomes in the camp in an attempt to alleviate the harsh economic conditions during Eid.
About 20% of the people are unable to buy Eid clothing due to the difficult economic situation he added.
Um Ali a resident of the camp told the PIC reporter that life in the camp despite its harshness is beautiful and has a special taste expressing hope to return to her homeland Palestine.
