Palestinians in Lebanon suffering worsened by high energy prices, inflation

Beirut, Lebanon — Osama Najjar is a Palestinian refugee living in the Beddawi refugee camp in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city, where he used to have a shop selling aluminium. Palestinians are barred from working in specific professions in Lebanon, including medicine, law, engineering and pharmacy, meaning that owning a shop is a crucial economic lifeline for many, regardless of their education levels. But Najjar, like other Palestinians in Lebanon, says the situation has grown increasingly difficult, as rising inflation and energy costs hit one of Lebanon’s most vulnerable communities particularly hard. With business stuttering and unable to keep up with his bills, he was forced to close his shop in early 2024.