ALBAWABA - During overnight clashes in Ain al-Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon between Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and Islamist groups in the camp, one person was killed and six others sustained serious injuries.
Members of the Fatah movement clashed with Islamist militants in the camp near the coastal city of Sidon. "an assassination attempt targeting an Islamist activist" Lebanon's official news agency NNA reported.
Mounir Makdah, a senior official in Fatah, said in a statement: "One dead and six camp residents injured, including children,", "we are working... to end the clashes and hand over those involved in the incident," he added.
Ain al-Hilweh camp, which is home to more than 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees, has been witnessing a rise in clashes between its residents especially since being joined by Syrian refugees, as thousands of them fled their homes since the beginning of conflict in 2011.
"An Islamist from al-Shabab al-Muslim group was killed, and a leader in the group was among the wounded," said a Palestinian source inside the camp, The New Arab reported.
Ain al-Hilweh is no new to this type of clashes, as in March, it witnessed a night of unrest resulting in the killing of one person and the injuring of several others, pitting Fatah members against Islamist groups in the camp.
Refugees in Ain al-Hilweh
With 120,000 living across the camp, Ain al-Hilweh is considered to be the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. The camp witnessed an influx in refugee numbers following the Syrian conflict in 2011, with Syrians fleeing their homes and seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
More than 450,000 Palestinians are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon.
