Clashes between Fatah and an Islamist group in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon continued for a third day on Tuesday, as efforts to reach a ceasefire continued to fail.
Heavy machine gunfire and RPG fire was reported in the clashes. Repeated efforts to reach a ceasefire have failed to establish a lasting calm so far.
معلومات عن استهداف مبنى بقذيفة يختبئ بداخله الصحافيين ونجاتهم باعجوبة pic.twitter.com/M8yDDr2hZj
— مصدر مسؤول (@fouadkhreiss) August 1, 2023
Since the clashes began, 11 people have been killed and dozens more have been injured. Hundreds of families have been displaced and dozens of buildings have been completely destroyed amid the clashes in the refugee camp as well.
Amid the clashes, an RPG and gunshots were fired toward near where journalists were reporting in the camp. No injuries were reported in the incident. Paramedics were also forced to withdraw from the camp due to the heavy gunfire in the area. An RPG also fell near a mosque in Sidon where displaced families were sheltered, according to elNashra.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lebanon's National News Agency reported that a delegation from the Palestinian Joint Action Authority in Lebanon and the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement was preparing to enter the camp to hold further discussions in an effort to stop the fighting.
How were the clashes sparked?
The clashes were sparked over the weekend after an unknown gunman tried to assassinate an Islamic militant, killing a companion of his instead. Hamas official Ayman Shana stated on Monday that an official named Mahmoud Abu Qatada was targeted on Saturday by a Fatah-affiliated gunman and that a man named Abd al-Rahman Farhood was killed.
Later, on Sunday, Islamic militants assassinated Fatah official Abu Ashraf al-Armoushi and four other Fatah members in the camp, sparking a further escalation in the clashes. According to Shana, the assassination occurred after an agreement reached to hand over Zubaidat was delayed.
Amid the fighting on Sunday, a shell was fired toward a position belonging to the Lebanese Army near the camp, injuring a number of Lebanese soldiers. On Monday, an additional Lebanese soldier was injured amid the clashes, according to elNashra.
رتل كبير من الجيش اللبناني يسلك طريق الجنوب باتجاه صيدا pic.twitter.com/8oB5OpZC9w
— مصدر مسؤول (@fouadkhreiss) August 1, 2023
On Tuesday evening, large reinforcements of the Lebanese Army arrived in Sidon in light of the continuation of the clashes in Ain al-Hilweh.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah called for an immediate ceasefire in the camp during a speech on Tuesday, calling the situation "painful, sad, and unfortunate" and calling on anyone who can to work to stop the fighting as quickly as possible.