Beyond Cairo agreement: Lebanon to disarm Palestinian camps

Shafaq News/ Lebanon and Palestine will begin disarming Palestinian refugee camps, starting mid-June, under a joint plan announced during President Mahmoud Abbas’s official visit to Beirut.

The agreement follows a joint declaration by Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirming that all weapons must be under the state’s control and that non-state arms should be dismantled.

A statement from Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s office confirmed that both sides endorsed a clear timeline for the disarmament process, tied to parallel efforts to improve the economic and social conditions of Palestinian refugees.

For more than five decades, Palestinian factions have overseen internal security in 12 recognized refugee camps under an arrangement that bars Lebanese forces from entering. Established under the 1969 Cairo Agreement, the system has kept camps such as Ain al-Hilweh—home to armed groups and fugitives—beyond direct state oversight.

UNRWA estimates that Lebanon hosts over 493,000 registered Palestinian refugees, with more than half living in overcrowded camps with limited infrastructure and restricted access to basic services.

The initiative comes as international pressure mounts on Lebanon, particularly from the United States, to curb the influence of armed non-state actors, including Hezbollah.