2023-09-09 05:20:49
The clashes stopped in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, yesterday evening, Friday, following a ceasefire agreement was reached, where complete calm prevailed throughout, according to Palestinian sources.
On Friday, an uneasy calm prevailed in the Ain al-Hilweh camp, interspersed with intermittent gunfire, following armed clashes renewed there on Thursday following a lull that lasted regarding a month, following bloody confrontations between Fatah members and “Islamic” factions at the end of last July, which then resulted in the killing of 14. One person, including the commander of the National Security Forces in the camp affiliated with the Fatah movement, Abu Ashraf Al-Armushi, and 4 of his companions.
The violent clashes that began Thursday in the camp resulted in at least 20 people being injured and many homes burning.
Ceasefire agreement
In details, Palestinian sources reported that reaching a ceasefire agreement came following persistent efforts exerted by the Director of Lebanese Army Intelligence in the south, Brigadier General Suhail Harb, who held a meeting with the leadership of the Fatah movement, represented by its secretary in Lebanon, Fathi Abu Ardat, and Hamas. “Represented by its official in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, at the Muhammad Zgheib military barracks in Sidon.
A source from the Hamas movement told the Turkish Anadolu Agency: “Press was put on the militants from all directions to cease fire in the camp. A ceasefire was also agreed upon at the meeting, and this succeeded despite some minor violations.”
For its part, the “Palestinian Joint Action Committee of National and Islamic Forces” (which includes representatives of all factions) in Sidon, on Friday, affirmed its “commitment to consolidating the ceasefire.”
In a statement carried by the National News Agency (government), it stressed its adherence to “its decision to strengthen the joint force of the national and Islamic political frameworks to carry out the tasks assigned to it.”
The United Nations calls for an end to the fighting
For his part, the “United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator” in Lebanon, Imran Riza, called for “a cessation of the fighting in the Ain al-Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon, and the evacuation of schools affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).”
“The ongoing clashes in the camp, along with the ongoing seizure of 8 UNRWA schools, prevent nearly 6,000 children from reaching their schools on the cusp of the academic year,” Omran said.
He stressed the need for “educational institutions to be safe and neutral spaces, which is an urgent necessity for children’s learning, well-being and development. The use of schools by armed groups is a flagrant violation of both international human rights law and international humanitarian law.”
Omran called on the armed groups to “stop the fighting in the camp, evacuate these schools immediately, and facilitate the work of UNRWA and other humanitarian organizations in order to provide the necessary protection and assistance to all needy families in the camp.”
He stressed that “protecting civilians, including children, and ensuring their access to schools safe from all forms of violence and exploitation, is a shared responsibility. All relevant actors must take measures to protect civilians.”
Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp was established in 1948, and is the largest in Lebanon, as it includes regarding 50,000 registered refugees, according to the United Nations, while unofficial estimates indicate that its population exceeds 70,000.
Like other Palestinian camps, the Lebanese security forces do not enter Ain al-Hilweh according to an implicit agreement that has existed for many years between the Lebanese authorities and the Palestinians. The Palestinian factions undertake a kind of self-security inside the camps through a joint security force.
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