Death toll from clashes at Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon rises to 9

By Wassim Seifeddine

BEIRUT (AA) - The death toll from clashes between two groups in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp rose to nine on Monday.

The largest of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the Ain al-Helweh camp located near Sidon city, has been witnessing clashes since Saturday, with six deaths recorded on Sunday, according to the state-run National News Agency (NAA).

Clashes between some Islamic groups and security forces affiliated with the Palestinian Fatah movement are continuing, according to NAA.

“The number of casualties inside Ain al-Helweh camp has reached 49, including nine dead and 40 wounded, as a result of the clashes that have been going on since Saturday,” Ghassan Sais, head of the Islamic Medical Association in Sidon, said on Monday.

An Anadolu correspondent said the Lebanese army closed all roads adjacent to the camp.

The clashes entered the third day, causing mass displacement and disrupting institutions, schools, and universities in Sidon.

A member of the Fatah movement, Abu Sheref el-Armoushi, and his four guards were killed, said local media on Sunday.

Established in 1948, Ain al-Helweh is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon with 50,000 registered people, according to figures released by the United Nations, while unofficial statistics put the camp’s population at 70,000 people.

The total number of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon is estimated at about 200,000, distributed among 12 camps, most of which are under the control of the Palestinian factions.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara