The explosion of a weapons storehouse in the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp east of Tyre revealed the extent of Hamas’ military presence in Lebanon.

Overview

• On the evening of December 10, 2021 there was an explosion in the Burj al-Shemali Palestinian refugee camp east of Tyre in south Lebanon. The media in Tyre reported it had taken place in a storeroom under a mosque, damaging the mosque and nearby structures. The Lebanese National News Agency reported the blast had killed and wounded several people (Lebanese National News Agency, December 10, 2021).
• Investigation determined the explosion had taken place in a weapons storehouse situated under the Hamas-controlled Ubai Bin Kaab mosque. Hamas later issued its official version, according to which an investigation showed it was the result of “an electrical short circuit in a warehouse containing a large quantity of oxygen tanks and disinfectants,” which would be distributed to help combat the coronavirus. Hamas denied the reports of an explosion in a weapons storehouse.
• A short time after Hamas issued its official version, it issued a mourning notice for Hamza Shahin, an engineer and operative in Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, who had been killed in “a jihad training and combat-preparation mission” (Hamas Telegram channel, December 10, 2021). Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, paid a condolence call to the Shahin family’s mourning tent (Hamas website, December 12, 2021). A mass funeral was held in the refugee camp, which was attended by Hamas leadership members Usama Hamedan, Izzat al-Rishq, Husam Badran and Zaher Jabarin (Arabicpost, December 12, 2021). Shots were fired at the mourners, killing and wounding several including a senior Hamas figure who was slightly injured. Hamas accused the Fatah security forces.
• The circumstances of Hamza Shahin’s death were not revealed. He was apparently a senior operative in Hamas’ military-terrorist network in the refugee camp. Hamas’ public acknowledgement of his being an operative in its military-terrorist wing and his death during “a jihad training and combat-preparation mission,” as well as the attendance of members of the Hamas leadership at his funeral and Isma’il Haniyeh’s condolence call give witness to his high rank.
• The events shed light on the progress Hamas is making in constructing a military-terrorist in Lebanon, apparently to create another front from which to attack Israel in the event of a future military confrontation in the Gaza Strip, and the weapons storehouse was most likely part of its construction. In all probability, Hamas is acting with the knowledge and support of Hezbollah, and a blind eye turned by the Lebanese government and UNRWA. In October 2021 the Alma-Israel Research Center issued a report about the clandestine military-terrorist network Hamas had been constructing in south Lebanon for the past several years. The report stated that initially the network was constructed by Hamas operatives “abroad,” and was centered primarily in south Lebanon. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Qods Force may also be involved.^[1] The construction of the network is one of the lessons learned from Operation Protective Edge (July-August 2014), when Hamas found itself isolated and without aid from abroad in the confrontation with Israel.
• Moreover, the events show Hamas has strengthened its presence in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The leadership, especially Isma’il Haniyeh, visited several refugee camps during the past year and received warm receptions. That created increasing tension between Hamas and Fatah, whose relations are tense in any case, and the shots fired during Hamza Shahin’s funeral, which led to mutual recriminations and accusations, may have been a consequence.
• The explosion in the mosque indicated that in Lebanon as in the Gaza Strip, Hamas uses mosques and other public buildings to camouflage its military-terrorist activities, endangering innocent civilians. There was considerable criticism of Hamas for situating its weapons in the heart of a civilian population and endangering the lives of the refugee camp residents.
• In addition, on three separate occasions during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021 rockets were fired at Israel from south Lebanon. In the assessment of Israel security sources, they were fired by Palestinian organizations in south Lebanon. The attacks may have been activations of Hamas’ military-terrorist network.

The Explosion in the Palestinian refugee camp

The events

  On the evening of December 10, 2021 there was an explosion in the Burj al-Shemali Palestinian refugee camp east of Tyre in south Lebanon. The media in Tyre reported it had taken place in a storeroom under a mosque, which apparently contained weapons. The secondary explosions caused by the subsequent fire could be heard throughout Tyre and in the neighboring towns and villages. Several fires also broke out in the immediate area (Twitter account of Fuad Kharis, December 10, 2021). The mosque and surrounding buildings were damaged. The Lebanese National News Agency reported that several people had been killed and wounded (Lebanese National News Agency, December 10, 2021). The al-Arabiya network reported dozens of casualties and claimed Hamas was hiding the true number of victims (al-Arabiya, December 10, 2018).

   
Right: A picture of the explosion taken from a tall building shows its extent (Khabar Press, December 12, 2021). Left: Fire caused by the blast (al-Nashra, December 10, 2021).

• Following the explosion the Lebanese army cordoned off the area and army forces prevented entrance or exit from the region of the refugee camp. The UNIFIL forces stationed in south Lebanon were told not to approach. In the meantime, Lebanon’s attorney general appointed demolitions experts and security forces to investigate the circumstances of the blast (al-Nashra, December 10, 2021).
• The investigation indicated that the explosion took place in a weapons storeroom situated under the Hamas-controlled Ubai Bin Kaab mosque (al-Mayadeen, December 10, 2021). A senior Hamas figure said a fire had broken out in the mosque and spread to other locations where weapons were stored. Initially Hamas confirmed the explosion had taken place in a weapons storeroom under the mosque, but later claimed the weapons were intended only for security and defense (al-Khabar, al-Arabiya, December 10, 2021).
• Hamas later issued its official version of the events, which was that an investigation had determined that the explosion was caused by an electrical short circuit in a storeroom containing a large number of oxygen tanks and disinfectants for distribution to help combat the coronavirus. Hamas expressed great regret and thanked the health institutions and everyone who had participated in dealing with the events. Hamas also issued an announcement condemning the media bias regarding the cause of the explosion and casualties (Hamas Telegram channel, December 11, 2021). In effect Hamas represented itself as having a central role in directing and controlling the refugee camp.
• A short time after issuing its official version, Hamas issued a mourning notice for the death of the engineer Hizma Ibrahim Shahin (Abu Muhammad), an operative in the military-terrorist wing killed during “a jihad training and combat-preparation mission” (Hamas Telegram channel, December 10, 2021). The notice did not elaborate on the manner or place of his death. Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, paid a condolence call to the mourning tent erected by the Shahin family, but did not specify where the family lived [apparently in Turkey] (Hamas website, December 12, 2021).

• Hamza Ibrahim Shahin (Abu Muhammad) was born in 1981 to a Palestinian family living in the Baqa’a refugee camp in Jordan, northwest of Amman. His father was a prominent Muslim preacher and sermon-giver in the camp. Hamza Shahin himself was prominent for his Islamic da’wah activities, which he continued when he later moved to Amman. He was also a da’wah activist during his university studies, where he joined the Hamas student faction. After graduation he worked as an engineer for a number of companies. In 2014 he was arrested during a general sweep of Islamic da’wah activists carried out by Jordanian general intelligence, and released four days later. After his release he moved to Turkey with his wife and mother. During the last years of his life he lived in the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp in South Lebanon (QudsN website, December 13, 2021).

The funeral held for Hamza Shahin

• A mass funeral was held for Hamza Shahin in the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp on December 12, 2021. According to reports, several thousand people attended. Among them were members of the Hamas leadership, including Usama Hamedan, Izzat al-Rishq, Husam Badran and Zaher Jabarin (Arabicpost, December 12, 2021). The fact that Isma’il Haniyeh paid a condolence call to the mourning tent erected by the family and Hamas leadership’s attendance at his funeral could indicate his high status.
• Initially the funeral proceeded routinely, but a short time after it began there were violent clashes between mourners and Fatah operatives, which included shots fired at Hamas operatives. According to a report four people were killed and six wounded (al-Nashra, December 12, 2021). Zaher Jabarin, a member of Hamas’ political bureau and responsible for the ministry of the affairs of prisoners, the wounded and shaheeds,^[2] was superficially wounded
• According to reports, a short time after the clashes Lebanese army intelligence, with the aid of security cameras installed on refugee camp streets, identified an armed Fatah operative shooting into the crowd. He was identified as Muhammad Darwish Abu al-Ashaa, a Fatah operative from the refugee camp known to the Lebanon intelligence services.

• Hamas accused Fatah of firing the shots. Senior Hamas figures Isma’il Haniyeh, Saleh al-‘Arouri and Khaled Mashaal spoke with the families of those killed. Hamas issued a statement assigning direct responsibility for the clashes to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its security forces, and blamed the PA for the deaths of Hamas operatives during the funeral (Hamas Telegram channel, December 12, 2021). In another statement Hamas claimed that by firing the shots the PA had preformed a “service” for Israel (Hamas website, December 13, 2021). Isma’il Haniyeh assigned responsibility for what Hamas called “the slaughter in Burj al-Shemali” to PA security forces in Lebanon and called on those responsible to be brought to trial (Shehab, December 12, 2021). Hamas operative Ayman Shanaa said Hamas had to respond with an iron fist to the shooters. He said Hamas in the Gaza Strip was in contact with Hamas in Lebanon to locate the shooters (Shehab, December 12, 2021).
• Fathi Abu al-Ardath, Fatah secretary in Lebanon, condemned the shooting and said Fatah would cooperate with the investigation and hand over one of the shooters to the Lebanese authorities. He said the man did not belong to the Fatah movement (Sawa, December 14, 2021). A short time later a retraction was issued stating that the Fatah movement was severing all ties with Hamas in Lebanon at every level in every location because regardless of Fatah’s cooperation, Hamas continued attacking and blaming the PA (al-Andalou News, December 14, 2021).
• Ahmed Abu al-Hadi, Hamas representative in Lebanon, said in response that after the event Hamas had suspended its membership in the security force in the refugee camps, and while it would continue its membership in the “joint commission for Palestinian activity in Lebanon,”^[3] it would not have any contact with the PA’s general security forces in Lebanon (Hamas Telegram channel, December 14, 2021).

Reactions to the events

• The explosion in the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp again raised the issue of situating military-terrorist facilities in the heart of a residential area. Many people accused Hamas of using civilian facilities for military use, clearly endangering the lives of the civilian population. Some of responses were the following:
  • Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee and PA minister of civilian affairs, said he was worried by the blast and condemned Hamas for having stored its weapons under a mosque. He added that the situation frightened the Palestinians in the refugee camps and made them worry about their safety (Khabar Press, December 12, 2021).
  • Safian Matar, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Front’s Central Committee, said the blast proved Hamas had leaned nothing from the explosion in the al-Zawiya market in the Gaza Strip.^[4] He said Hamas had to honor the agreement signed by all the Palestinian organizations in Lebanon not to store weapons in the refugee camps; adherence to the agreement would prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
  • Fuad Seniora, former Lebanese prime minister, said the blast proved the dangers inherent in the proliferations of weapons in Lebanon. He said that weapons which were supposed to be turned against Israel were instead turned against the people of Lebanon.
  • Ziyad al-Ayoubi, a Lebanese political commentator, claimed Hamas was responsible for the explosion. He said Hamas knowingly stored the weapons it received from Iran in densely-populated civilian neighborhoods. He called on the Arab League, the UN, the EU and the African Union to punish Hamas for its crimes against the Palestinian people and its contempt for the lives of innocent people (Khabar Press, December 12, 2021).

 ^[1] The article about the explosion quoted "security sources" as claiming Hezbollah involvement in the construction of Hamas' military force in south Lebanon. It also said that in Lebanon's current political climate, Hezbollah cannot permit itself to act against Israel and therefore Iran designated the task to the Hamas network in south Lebanon.
^[2]  Zaher Jabarin originally comes from Salfit in east Jerusalem and was a founder of Hamas' military-terrorist wing in Judea and Samaria. He was arrested by Israel and sentenced to life imprisonment but released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal. Today his divides his time between Turkey and Lebanon. He was recently appointed as an aide to Saleh al-'Arouri, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau and regarding for Hamas activity in Judea and Samaria. Jabarin has been on the United States' list of designated terrorist operatives since September 2019.
^[3] The joint commission for Palestinian activity in Lebanon was established in 2018 and united the representatives of all the Palestinian organizations in Lebanon under one roof. Its objective is to deal with the issues of the Palestinians in the refugee camps in Lebanon. The many disagreements that surfaced caused the commission to lapse into almost total inactivity over the past two years. Only in July 2021 did it return to operations, due to the Lebanon's deep economic crisis.
^[4]  On July 22, 2021, there was an explosion on Omar al-Mukhtar street near the al-Zawiya market in a densely-populated site in Gaza City. Fourteen people were killed, six of them children. The IDF spokesman in Arabic reported that the explosion had taken place in a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) weapons storehouse situated in the heart of the crowded market. The PIJ said it took responsibility and would investigate the "unfortunate incident" with the "relevant authorities." 

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