Yesterday, Tuesday, clashes violated a fragile ceasefire agreement in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, after days of battles that claimed the lives of at least 7 people, at a time when Beirut is witnessing visits by leaders of Palestinian organizations seeking to end the tension.
Ain al-Hilweh camp – located on the outskirts of the city of Sidon, and the largest for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon – has witnessed intermittent clashes since last Thursday between the Fatah movement and Islamic factions.
These battles came after weeks of violent confrontations between the two sides, considered the most violent in years. It resulted in the killing of 13 people, including a Fatah leader, in an ambush. These clashes calmed down after a series of contacts between Palestinian factions and Lebanese officials and parties.
Imad Hallaq, Director of Media at the Palestinian Red Crescent – Lebanon Region, reported that the toll of battles during the past days amounted to 7 dead and more than 80 wounded, noting that the victims were militants and civilians.
Last Monday, the official National News Agency reported from the General Directorate of Public Security that an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” had been reached, after a meeting between the Acting Director General, Major General Elias Al-Bisari, the head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee, Basil Al-Hassan, and a number of representatives of the factions and active parties in the camp.
However, an Agence France-Presse correspondent in Sidon indicated yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, that shooting and intermittent clashes had been recorded in the camp.
The Fatah movement confirmed – in a statement published by the National Agency – its commitment to the ceasefire “again after it foiled the attack in the Al-Tiri neighborhood (inside the camp) and caused casualties,” stressing that it “will continue to deal with any terrorist group that is detected.”
In light of the tension, Beirut is witnessing visits by officials from several organizations, especially Fatah and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
The Lebanese agency confirmed the arrival of Musa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the Hamas movement abroad, “on a visit that will last several days, to discuss the development of the situation in the Palestinian camps,” and that he will meet “Lebanese officials and representatives of the Palestinian factions to try to contain the situation in the camp.”
Abu Marzouk’s visit comes at a time when Azzam Al-Ahmad, a member of the Executive Committees of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Central Committee of the Fatah Movement, is in Beirut.
Ain al-Hilweh camp is known for harboring Islamic factions and outlaws, and more than 54,000 Palestinian refugees registered with the United Nations live there, and thousands of Palestinians fleeing the conflict in Syria have joined them during the past years.
The camp often witnesses assassinations, and sometimes clashes between Palestinian and Islamic factions.
2023-09-13 00:10:30
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