Clashes resume between factions in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp [Video]

(8 Sep 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sidon , Lebanon – 8 September 2023
1.Various top shots of Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, smoke rising AUDIO of gunfire
2. Various of Palestinian Red Crescent taking wounded on stretcher inside of ambulance
3. Ambulance driving by
4. Ambulance heading to hospital
5. Various of Lebanese army checkpoint at entrance of camp

STORYLINE:
Clashes resumed in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp overnight, with heavy gunfire and shelling wounding at least 20 people and prompting residents of the camp and the surrounding area to flee on Friday.

Earlier this summer, there were several days of street battles in the Ein el-Hilweh camp between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement and Islamist groups after Fatah accused the Islamists of gunning down one of their military generals on July 30.

Those street battles left at least 13 dead and dozens wounded, and forced hundreds to flee from their homes.

An uneasy truce has been in place since Aug. 3, but clashes were widely expected to resume as the Islamist groups have not handed over the accused killers of the Fatah general, Mohammad “Abu Ashraf” al-Armoushi to the Lebanese judiciary, as demanded by a committee of Palestinian factions last month.

The committee announced on Tuesday that their joint security forces would launch raids in search of the accused killers.

By late morning Friday, the fighting had at least temporarily subsided, but clashes intermittently flared up again.

Hundreds of people displaced from their homes were sheltering in a nearby mosque and in the courtyard of the municipality building of the city of Sidon, which is adjacent to the camp.

U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza in a statement Friday urged the militants to call a truce and vacate the schools.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that 20 people were wounded, including an elderly man, and transported to hospitals overnight.

Shabaita said the wounded included three civil defence volunteers who came under shelling as they were working to extinguish fires.

Lebanon’s General Security agency said that one of its officers suffered a head wound from a stray bullet that hit him outside the camp.

Lebanese forces do not go into the camp under a standing agreement but provide security around it.

There were no immediate reports of deaths.

AP video shot by Fadi Tawil

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