After 40 Hamas members killed, Lebanon weighs disarming refugee camps: Here's what we know

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

More than 40 Hamas members have been killed by Israel in Lebanon since the start of the Gaza war, the most recent being Khaled Ahmad al-Ahmad, who died in an Israeli airstrike early Wednesday near Sidon.

These targeted killings have provided Hamas with a pretext to retain its weapons under the banner of resistance against Israel, even though, according to Palestinian sources, the group has not used and does not intend to use these weapons inside Lebanon.

On the Lebanese side, however, security sources say the time has come to disarm the refugee camps. 

Political sources say the process is advancing gradually, with three main priorities: halting Hamas operations to eliminate any Israeli pretext for attacking Lebanon; disabling the use of weapons; and addressing the broader issue of arms within the camps.

Coordination is underway between army intelligence, General Security, and Hamas to hand over the last remaining wanted individuals, most notably, suspects involved in launching rockets at Israel in March, a case that may still reveal key unresolved details.

Attention is now focused on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ scheduled visit to Beirut on May 21, and what it might bring regarding the weapons issue in the camps.

Alongside that dialogue, Lebanese security sources are hopeful that Lebanese-Palestinian security cooperation can be strengthened to resolve the arms issue, similar to the army intelligence-led negotiations that led to the dismantling of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command’s camps.

This security effort appears likely to serve as the foundation for the next phase, especially as Palestinian sources stress that Abbas represents the Palestinian Authority but not the entire Palestinian population. 

They emphasize that any discussion of weapons must take place through the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee, which must also account for Palestinian civil rights and the right of return.

Those same sources note that the issue of weapons in the camps—geographically, chronologically, and in terms of type—has not yet been formally placed on the agenda of the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue table.