2 dead in truce breach at Lebanon Palestinian camp
Attack endangers fragile ceasefire that followed fatal clashes between Fatah supporters and Islamists
Two people were killed when gunmen briefly opened fire in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, breaching a tense ceasefire, Palestinian sources said on Thursday.
A source from the Fatah Palestinian faction said a Fatah official and a civilian had been killed in fire by “unidentified gunmen” overnight in Ain al-Helweh in southern Lebanon.
The breach threatened a ceasefire that ended several days of clashes between Fatah and an Islamist group in the camp.
Palestinian officials said the ceasefire remained in place despite the breach and that high-level contacts were made during the night to ensure it would be respected.
Ain al-Helweh is an impoverished, overcrowded camp near the coastal city of Sidon, home to some 61,000 Palestinians, including 6,000 who fled the war in Syria.
By long-standing convention, Lebanon’s army does not enter Palestinian refugee camps, meaning many have turned into lawless areas.