Clashes In Palestinian Refugee Camp In Lebanon, 15 Dead

At least 15 people were killed and more than 150 injured after a week of clashes between Palestinian factions in Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

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National News Agency (NNA) news agency reported that Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon witnessed violent clashes in which machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used, with flare bombs being dropped for the first time in the refugee camp.

The armed clashes caused significant displacement in and around Sidon, while the highway south of Sidon and several neighborhoods near the camp were also hit by stray bullets.

According to the Arab media outlet, "the toll since its outbreak last Thursday is 15 dead and more than 150 injured." On September 11, at least six people dead and more than 80 wounded were reported.

Speaking to the press, Emad Hallaq, a spokesman for the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Lebanon, said that most of the victims have been transferred to Al Hamshari Hospital, run by his organization in the city of Sidon, and other centers also located outside the camp's boundaries.

Located on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon, Ein el-Hilweh is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Clashes between rival groups frequently occur in the Ain Al-Helweh countryside. 

The two factions have agreed to a new cessation of hostilities which came into force at 18.00 hours. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has held meetings with representatives of Fatah and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, according to NNA.

Similar pacts were reached when at the end of last July, Fatah and Islamist groups engaged in fierce clashes in the Ein el-Hilweh camp that lasted for several days. The trigger was the assassination of Abu Ashraf Armoushi, one of Fatah's commanders.