Dbayeh R.C. (needs verification): The Lebanese army invades Dbayeh Camp

In the afternoon of one of the spring days in 1973 the Lebanese Army drove in and around Dbayeh camp. I was a kid at that time playing in the school yard. I remember my father passing by, while he was carrying a huge bag of paper full with food and groceries. Less than an hour later my oldest brother came running, he carried me like a doll, and then he rushed home, as the shoots of fire and blasts of grenades were heard filling the peaceful silence of Dbayeh Camp.
When we arrived home, my mother thanked God, but she was still very worried, because my other two brothers have not come home yet. Finally all of us gathered at home including my older sister, her husband and my older uncle Yousef.
As the bombardment of the Camp became more intense, my father ordered everyone to sit in the middle of the inner room, because it was the only room of our two-rooms house, which had a cement roof. According to my father it was safer in case a canon bomb falls on our house. Then he ordered me and my little brother to crawl under the only bed in that room, as a measure of safety. Funnily my father described the bombs as metal balls, like those which were used under world war one and during the wars before that. Off course, that reflects how non-military and primitive were the inhabitants of the Camp.
My uncle was terribly worried for his family. His house was located on the highest edge of the Camp, just under the Maronite Monastery of St. Joseph Al Borj. My father and my uncle were convinced that the Lebanese army was shelling the Camp from a high location such as the Monastery, because the Monastery was located on the top of the hill overlooking the Camp. My uncle wanted to go to his family instantly, but it was dangerous for him to leave. My father and the adults in the family convinced him to stay until the shelling got lighter. While waiting to see what will happen to us, the adults began to question the reason of this hostile attack on the Camp by the Lebanese Army, which was not our enemy. One asked why the Lebanese Army did not turn its fire on Israel instead, the answer was because the Lebanese Army did not have enough courage to fight real enemies, but it had enough courage to attack defenseless civilian Palestinians, because the Lebanese Army knew that the Palestinians will not destroy them like the Israelis would do. I remember hearing one say that, the Lebanese Army Soldiers put on their trousers, when it comes to civilians and defenseless Palestinians, but when it comes to real war of men against for instance Israel, the Lebanese Army would say, it is not our war, and its leaders would order the soldiers to put on women dresses and hide in shelters like rats. One said that is typical for the Lebanese Army, because we only see their strength at peaceful times and not at war. I remember my sister and mother questioning amazingly, how the Lebanese Army could attack us, despite the fact that, many Lebanese citizens were married to Palestinian residents of the Camp. My sister answered in her usual humorous way, they will only shell the Palestinian houses, and they will avoid shelling the houses of those, who are married to Lebanese. We all laughed cynically despite the fear which overwhelmed us. My sister tried to cheer my uncle up by saying, do not worry uncle, the Lebanese Army would not bomb your house, because your wife is Lebanese. My uncle smiled sadly and said: “I should have raised the Lebanese flag on top of the house to avoid the bombs”.

As it got darker, the shelling of bombs on the Camp got lighter. Only few bombs were heard exploding long away at a further distance than before. That was a signal for my uncle to go home, so my uncle did not bear to stay longer. He was very worried for his family. My father told him that, this is a good sign, and he added by saying: “wait until it gets safer”. My uncle could not wait a second more. My father would not let him go alone, so he decided to follow with him to be sure that, he arrived safely and in one piece. My uncle did not want that, because he was afraid that, my father will get stuck at my uncle´s home, if the heavy bombardment would start again before getting back home to us. After a long argument, it was decided that, my two oldest brothers are quicker than my father to get back home safely, in case the heavy bombardment started. My father instructed them to avoid going through open areas, because it was safer for them to go in the narrow lanes between the houses. According to my father’s understanding of military capabilities, as it applied too for all the civilian residents, the Lebanese Army had special binoculars, which enabled them to see an ant crawling from really far away distance. Off course that was the information, which the Lebanese army exaggerated during their trainings in peaceful times, and sadly they made the people believe this lie.
Finally my uncle and brothers sneaked out. I would say it took my brothers about half an hour to get back from their mission, but it felt like years for my worried parents. I could clearly see that on their faces from under the bed; my hiding place.
Time felt, as if it was frozen. Many days went by. The only thing we heard was bombs and bombs and more bombs. As a variation we heard shots being fired too. Drinking water and food supply were getting shorter. As it was strictly forbidden by the Lebanese Government for the Palestinians to have a toilet at home, we had to use the public toilets, which were built for us by the UNRWA. Under the bombardment it was not safe for anyone to go to the toilets. The nearest toilets were about 100 meters away from our house, and they served as a defense wall against incoming bullets towards our house. No one dared going to them, because no one wanted to risk getting a bullet just for using the toilet, it would be pathetic to get wounded or killed for that. As a temporary solution we had to use an old tin of Tetra- Milk as a toilet. Luckily my mother had already made lots of traditional Easter Cookies. They came in handy, as food ran out. They were the only thing, which we were feeding on for the rest of the bombardment period. We used all our reserve of drinking water from the pottery jars outside. It was an alternative solution to the missing water supply. We had to preserve drinking water in pottery jars, because the Lebanese Government did not allow Palestinians to have water in the proper way through pipes, like the Lebanese citizens.
As I remember, on one of the last days a bomb fell on our neighbors’ house. The inner wall of our house was the only thing which separated our house from the rest of our neighbors’ house. It was the only and same separation wall used by both families. When the bomb exploded, it felt like as if the house crumbled over our heads. My father was right. That cement roof saved us. Only a small part of the separation wall got destroyed, while the roof of our neighbors’ house was destroyed completely, because it was made of cement sheets of asbestos.
After we recovered from the chock of the bomb, my mother rushed to me and my little brother to check if we were unhurt. The only injury was my father´s. He got injured by a flying stone on his forehead.
The Camp was made up of four streets; like huge stairs, with houses horizontally on both sides of the stairs. Our house was located on the lower side of what we called the First Street. Total destruction on our street did not include only our neighbors’ house; it included also the house of two elderly persons, a man and his wife, who owned a little shop. Their roof was destroyed by a Lebanese Army bomb. The roof collapsed and fell over their head. The man died, while his wife survived with injuries.
When the vicious attack of the Lebanese Army was over, the result was dozens of destroyed houses, more than a dozen civilian Palestinians dead, and an agreement of peace with the Lebanese army was signed, which allowed the Lebanese Army to reside around our Camp, and to watch over (suffocate) us without interfering with our peaceful daily life.