Mayor of Sidon Discusses Conditions of Displaced Persons from Ain El-Hilweh with UNRWA Director

The Mayor of Sidon, Hazem Khodr Baddih, received in his office the Deputy Special Coordinator of the United Nations in Lebanon, Resident Coordinator, and Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator, Imran Riza, along with the Director of UNRWA in Lebanon, Dorothy Klaus. The meeting was attended by the Director of the Crisis and Risk Management Cell and member of the municipal council, Mustafa Hajzi, the UNRWA Director for the Sidon area, Ibrahim Khattib, and a representative from UNICEF. Baddih welcomed Riza on his first visit to Sidon and the municipality. He then presented the tragic humanitarian conditions faced by Palestinian and Lebanese displaced persons due to the clashes in Ain El-Hilweh and their negative repercussions on the residents of the camp and Sidon and its surroundings, stating, "As a municipality, we want assistance because we are doing everything possible to help the displaced in cooperation with international and local organizations." Riza praised "the collaboration and presence of international and local relief organizations and the ongoing coordination between them and the Municipality of Sidon to assist the displaced," emphasizing that "necessary needs will be identified and the required steps will be taken to alleviate the suffering of the displaced as much as possible." Klaus expressed hope for "a serious and final commitment to a ceasefire," lamenting "the destruction and the loss of innocent lives among civilians in the camp, as well as the impact of the clashes on the demographic and social environment in the camp, Sidon, and its region." She warned that "continued clashes will negatively affect the start of the school year in the camp, scheduled for early October this year," pointing out that "the future of students is at risk if education in UNRWA schools and others in the camp and surrounding areas is disrupted."