By Alia Ibrahim
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, October 11, 2007

NAHR AL-BARED, Lebanon, Oct. 10 -- Authorities allowed several hundred Palestinians to return to their devastated homes in a refugee camp here Wednesday, a month after Lebanese soldiers defeated al-Qaeda-inspired radicals who had used it as their base.

Of the roughly 30,000 refugees forced to flee after fighting erupted in May, a few hundred went back to what was left of their houses in a part of the camp where damage was relatively limited.

The army prevented reporters from accompanying the refugees into the camp, but some of the returnees described by telephone the scenes of ruin that greeted them. "There is nothing left -- the whole house has been burned. I am trying to clean up as much as possible to make the place livable," Nawal Sadek, a mother of eight, said from her apartment.

The camp's population had consisted mainly of Palestinians who in 1948 fled or were forced to flee what is now northern Israel, and their descendants. Like Lebanon's 11 other Palestinian refugee camps, Nahr al-Bared had become a dense accumulation of concrete buildings separated by narrow streets.

The refugees, arriving at a checkpoint in cars, small trucks and buses operated by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, were escorted by military personnel to their houses. UNRWA aids Palestinians in Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.

"We're very happy. There are some difficulties, but we don't mind. There's nothing like coming home. Even if it is broken, we will fix it," said Nijmeh Abdel-Rahim, sitting in the front seat of the family truck. Three of her five children sat on mattresses and other supplies.

According to UNRWA spokeswoman Huda el-Turk, about 800 families, whose houses were in "acceptable condition," are set to return over eight days.

Turk said other families would be moved to prefabricated houses near the camp. But thousands are expected to remain in schools and other temporary shelters for long periods.

"It is going to take years before the 'old camp' could be rebuilt," Turk said, referring to the section of Nahr al-Bared that suffered the worst damage and remains a military zone.

About 400 people died in 15 weeks of clashes between the Lebanese army and a group called Fatah al-Islam, whose founder claimed inspiration from al-Qaeda and said his eventual goal was to fight Israel. Lebanese authorities said 168 soldiers were killed. They also said 108 members of the radical group -- including Saudis, Syrians and other nationalities as well as Palestinians and Lebanese -- are in custody on terrorism and other charges.

In the nearby Beddawi camp, to which many residents of Nahr al-Bared had fled, a young veiled woman sat crying on a school bench. Samira Rashid tried to console the woman despite her own high emotions.

"We all left together, we should all return together," Rashid shouted. "They came, gave out passes to some names and left. No one told us anything. . . . I want to know how long my sons will be sleeping in this playground without a roof over their heads," she continued, tears in her eyes.

Like Rashid, many stood behind the school's windows and on the streets, watching those leaving in UNRWA buses.

Inside one bus, an agency volunteer was checking passes as another handed out pamphlets warning the returnees against approaching unexploded ordnance or buildings at risk of collapse.

Among those leaving was Awatef Kanaan, a mother of five.

"I know that my house was totally destroyed, but it is okay, I want to go back even if we have to sleep on the dust. At least it is our home," she said, surrounded by her daughters, each carrying a small plastic bag containing personal belongings.