Lebanon: Violent clashes are not stopping in the Palestinian refugee camp, again 10 died; Dozens of people injured
Lebanon: Violent clashes continue in Palestinian refugee camps. In the latest clash, 10 people have lost their lives while dozens have been injured. Five Lebanese Army soldiers were also injured, one of whom is in critical condition, after shelling hit two of their posts on the outskirts of the camp on Sunday, according to an army statement.
Ten people have been killed and dozens injured in renewed violence between rival groups at a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. The Ain al-Hilwe camp has been rocked by factional clashes since late July between the Palestinian mainstream movement Fatah and Islamist fighters.
More than a dozen people were killed in the first round. Fighting resumed over the weekend after a month-long ceasefire and at least 10 people have been killed since then, according to two Palestinian sources in the camp. Six of them were Fatah terrorists and the other two were Islamic fighters.
A Lebanese security source and two Palestinian sources said the remaining two victims were civilians. A Lebanese security source said one person was killed on Saturday when gunfire during clashes reached a town near the camp.
Five Lebanese army soldiers were also wounded, one of them seriously, when shelling hit two of their posts on the outskirts of the camp on Sunday, according to an army statement.
Ain al-Hilwe is the largest of the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, hosting approximately 80,000 of the 250,000 Palestinians nationwide, according to the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA). These camps date back nearly seven decades to the establishment of neighboring Israel in 1948.
The renewed violence has raised new concerns that the clashes could spread to the nearby city of Sidon. Residents fear a similar scenario to the northern Palestinian camp of Nahr al-Bared, where the Lebanese army launched a 15-week offensive in 2007 to root out Islamist groups.
A senior Fatah official and Lebanon's acting head of state are scheduled to arrive in Lebanon on Monday. The powerful General Security Intelligence Agency will hold an emergency meeting on the issue.
UNRWA has said armed groups have taken over eight of its schools, forcing the agency to look for alternatives to hosting students as the start of the school year nears.
