2023-09-10 16:48:02
SIDON, Lebanon (AP) — Islamist factions in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp said Sunday they will respect a ceasefire following three days of clashes that killed at least five people and left hundreds of families displaced.
Fighting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement and Islamist groups has shaken the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon since Friday. Fatah and other factions in the countryside had intended to crack down on suspects accused of killing one of their military chiefs in late July.
In addition to the five dead, 52 other people were injured, Dr. Riad Abu Al-Einen, director of Al-Hamshari Hospital in Sidon, which received the victims, told The Associated Press.
Ein el-Hilweh — home to regarding 55,000 people, according to the United Nations — is known for its lawlessness and violence is common in the refugee camp. It was established in 1948 to house Palestinians who were displaced when Israel was established.
Lebanese officials, security agencies and the United Nations have urged the warring factions to agree to a ceasefire. The acting head of Lebanon’s General Security agency, Elias al-Baysari, said he will attend a meeting between Palestinian factions on Monday and urge the factions to reach a resolution.
The warring factions in the camp said in a statement published Sunday by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency that they planned to respect a ceasefire.
UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, said hundreds of families displaced from the camp have taken shelter in nearby mosques and schools and in the Sidon municipality building. The UN agency and local organizations are setting up additional shelters following Lebanon’s prime minister and interior minister canceled an initiative by the municipality, the Lebanese Red Cross and local community groups to set up a few dozen tents for families.
Palestine Red Crescent paramedics set up stations at the camp entrance to treat the wounded and provided food packages to displaced families.
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Chehayeb reported from Beirut.
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