Palestinian refugees face new displacement as Israel's bombs hit Lebanon

"In 1948, Manal Matar's grandparents fled Akka (Acre) in what was then northern Palestine and crossed into Lebanon. They thought they would soon return, but the borders closed, and the family ended up in Rashidieh camp, near Tyre, a coastal city in south Lebanon. They've lived there ever since. But in the early hours of March 2, Israeli forces began heavily attacking near their house."

"There was bombing all around us, she said. Her family packed up and started heading north, with the violent sounds of explosions echoing around them. The war was terrifying, and we were on the road for more than a day, she recalled. Now, they are staying with Manal's maternal aunt in the Beddawi refugee camp, in Tripoli, north Lebanon."

"Israel intensified its war on Lebanon on March 2, after Hezbollah attacked Israel for the first time in more than a year. A ceasefire in Lebanon had ostensibly been in effect since November 27, 2024, despite the United Nations and Lebanese government counting more than 15,000 Israeli ceasefire violations since then, leaving hundreds in Lebanon dead."

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, including families like Manal Matar's who fled Palestine in 1948, endure generational displacement and trauma. After 76 years in refugee camps such as Rashidieh near Tyre, these communities face renewed violence as Israeli military operations intensified on March 2 following Hezbollah's attack. Families are forced to evacuate camps under heavy bombardment, relocating to other camps in northern Lebanon. Despite a ceasefire nominally in effect since November 2024, over 15,000 Israeli violations have been documented, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Israel has issued mass evacuation orders affecting over 14 percent of Lebanese territory, compounding the suffering of Palestinian refugees already living in precarious conditions for decades.

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