Clashes renewed in the Ain al-Hilweh camp for Palestinian refugees in southern Lebanon, on Thursday evening, between the Fatah movement and extremist Islamic organizations, according to Al-Hurra’s correspondent.
The sounds of gunfire and rocket shells were heard inside the camp, while a massive displacement of Palestinians was recorded from inside the camp due to the ongoing clashes.
Al-Hurra correspondent stated that stray bullets reached all parts of the city of Sidon, in the south of the country.
It was also reported that a rocket had exploded over the “Hamshari” hospital in the southern city of Sidon.
The Lebanese army imposes a tight security cordon around the camp, and the army facilitates the exit of the residents to escape the development of the situation inside the camp.
It was also reported that intensive contacts were initiated at the highest levels between the leaders of the Palestinian factions and some Lebanese forces to contain the ongoing armed clashes on more than one axis, in which machine guns and rockets were used.
Preliminary information indicated that a ceasefire agreement had been reached, but its implementation depends on the warring parties’ commitment to it.
In an urgent statement, the Palestinian joint action body in Lebanon called for a cease-fire in Ain al-Hilweh camp, “to allow the joint Palestinian security force in Ain al-Hilweh camp and the joint action body in Sidon to carry out their duties and implement what was entrusted to them by the labor body in Lebanon.” “.
The information spoke of at least two wounded, while eyewitnesses in the city of Sidon confirmed to Al-Hurra that stray bullets resulting from the clashes fell on the city’s neighborhoods, prompting people to hide in their homes and leave the city’s seaside promenade, which includes a gathering of cafes that are usually crowded. at this time.
A large number of video clips have spread, showing the massive displacement of families and individuals from the clash areas in the camp to the outside, where they were distributed to the mosques of the city of Sidon, especially the Mosuli Mosque, and the public places there.
The clashes are concentrated in the neighborhoods of Al-Taameer, Al-Tawara’, Al-Barakasat and Al-Bustan, and according to the information, they come against the backdrop of Fatah’s attempt to restore its security presence in UNRWA schools, which were taken over by armed Islamic elements after the clashes that took place in the camp last month.
Continuing clashes in Ain al-Hilweh… and efforts to “restore things to normal”
Al-Hurra correspondent in the vicinity of the Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon reported that the clashes continued with their concentration in Al-Tara neighborhood, the stronghold of the “Fatah” movement, noting that there were nine dead and about 50 wounded since the clashes began on Saturday.
According to the information, the attack began with throwing a bomb, followed by heavy gunfire from inside the “Tawra’a” neighborhood in the camp.
About a quarter of the camp’s 80,000 residents had been displaced by the clashes, which broke out on July 29, between Fatah and Islamist militants.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, the Ain al-Hilweh camp is the largest of the 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon that house up to 250,000 Palestinian refugees.
A large number of extremists and wanted persons are sheltering in the camp, as it is out of the control of the Lebanese authorities by virtue of an old custom, and the security forces or the Lebanese army do not spread within it, while its security is mainly handled by the Fatah movement. Clashes between groups competing for influence and power are common in the camp.
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2023-09-07 20:21:26
