Lebanese fleeing Israel bombings seek shelter in squalid Beirut refugee camp

Shatila refugee camp has for decades been an epicentre for Palestinian refugees – a haven on the outskirts of Beirut for stateless people.

Its bloody history is plastered all over the walls, as are the images of slain Palestinian leaders. And there is a new trend emerging, those of militants from Hamas.

The conditions are squalid, construction is low quality and dangerous electric cables hang in the air on every street.

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It feels like a city within a city – it’s overcrowded and like anywhere, it’s often been a dangerous place. But people fleeing conflicts at different times have called it home, from Palestinians to Syrians.

Now hundreds of people from the south of Lebanon are arriving as Israel intensifies its strikes against Hezbollah.

Like hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, Hajji Zeinab’s family were displaced following the creation of Israel in 1948. They fled and settled here.

She shares the fears of many here that Hezbollah‘s war with Israel could come to her neighbourhood.

“This situation is difficult for everyone, including for us here as we don’t know what our fate is,” she tells me.

“People in Lebanon are sacrificing for us, the Palestinian people. The least we can do is open up our centres and schools and help.”

Three families are now being hosted in her home, including nine children.

All of them fled bombardment in southern Lebanon. Among them, six-year-old Zeinab and four-year-old Aya.

Their father, Assem Said, says they’re terrified.

“The strikes became very heavy everywhere across southern Lebanon, in the houses and in the neighbourhoods. The kids would shake because they’re so scared,” he says.

No one knows when they will be able to go back home.

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For now, like so many who live at this camp, Zeinab and Aya have also become displaced.

As the situation escalates further in the south of the country, the residents of Shatila believe it’s only a matter of time before they feel the effects of this war in the capital.