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South Lebanon -

“We feel little of what our people feel in Gaza.” This is the mouthpiece of the residents of the Palestinian refugee camp of Rashidieh, which is the closest camp to the southern border of Lebanon, and is only 17 kilometers away from it, and is located on the seashore, 5 kilometers from the city of Tyre. .

The Al Jazeera Net camera toured inside Rashidiya, and monitored the interaction of the people with what is happening in Gaza with the continuation of the Israeli aggression, and its coincidence with the ongoing border escalation on the border villages in southern Lebanon, as a result of the military operations and air strikes launched by Israel in the region, the echoes of which are clearly heard by the people of the camp, which reflects The extent of the tension on this front.

Pictures of martyrs and faction leaders throughout the camp as icons and symbols of the struggle of the Palestinian people (Al Jazeera)

Constant anticipation

The Rashidieh camp was built in two phases, the first in 1936 by the French government to house Armenian refugees who fled to Lebanon, and the second in 1963 when UNRWA established the new section to house Palestinian refugees who were displaced from the Gorwad camp in the Baalbek region of Lebanon.

In April 2023, the camp’s surroundings were subjected to Israeli bombing, following the launching of several missiles towards the border settlements. Since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa flood on October 7, the people of Rashidiya have been living in anticipation and anxiety, especially since their camp is vulnerable to bombing at any moment, as they fear An expanded war erupts in southern Lebanon.

A large portion of the camp's population depends on UNRWA aid and fears restrictions on it (Al Jazeera)

Similar feelings

Hajja Jamal Raheel (68 years old) told Al Jazeera Net, “We are here in the closest camp to Palestine. Yesterday, the Israeli aircraft broke the sound barrier, and I was terrified with fear.” She adds, “Every day our hearts burn over what is happening in Gaza and how our people are being killed there, but at the same time They themselves are afraid."

As for Ihab Hammoud, he confirms that the camp and its residents are “an integral part of the battle inside Palestine, and what happens with the Palestinian people on their land affects any Palestinian, regardless of where they are. We are partners in the battle, blood, and liberation.” The young man confirms that “the camp has gone through many wars since the Nakba.” “But this aggression will not make us forget our right to return, and will not frighten any Palestinian.”

Zuhair Qassem, a resident of the camp, says, “Al-Aqsa Mosque does not belong to the Palestinian people only, but to all Muslims, and the Palestinian people are united, whether they are inside Palestine or in the diaspora.”

Commenting on the escalation in southern Lebanon and the situation in the camp, Qassem adds, “Under these difficult circumstances, the residents of the camp are living in the same way as the residents of southern Lebanese villages, in terms of terror and fear,” and stresses that the Palestinian and Lebanese people are united in this crisis.

Camp residents confirm their support for the steadfastness of the Palestinians in Gaza in light of the ongoing aggression against them (Al Jazeera)

Middle life

Hajj Muhammad Raheel says, “We, as children of a camp considered the closest camp to Palestine, feel at every moment what Gaza is going through in our daily lives, but no matter how much we talk about Gaza, we remain negligent in their rights, as they are steadfast on their land despite the massacres, suffering, and complicity.”

Citizen Nayfa Al-Ahmad said that the residents of the camp feel constant fear as a result of the continued bombing near the border, and she adds, “We feel the suffering of the people of Gaza due to the bombing every day, and we are affected by what they are affected by.” She confirms that the people of Gaza responded in the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle to the displacement plans that Israel is threatening, by displacing The Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan, and they are paying the price for that.

The camp residents confirm that they live a life between pain and hope. What is happening in Gaza hurts them, but at the same time they are not far from the scene, and that the struggle of the Palestinian people against the Israeli occupation continues, whether on the land of Palestine or outside it.

Source: Al Jazeera