Casualties in Fierce Clashes at Shatila Palestinian Camp
Fierce clashes erupted Wednesday at the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp on Beirut's southern edges, media reports said.
MTV said several people were killed and wounded in the fighting between the Fatah al-Intifada and al-Saeqa groups, which involved the use of “machineguns and some rocket-propelled grenades.”
The majority of the casualties were transferred to the Haifa hospital amid preparations to transfer others to the al-Maqassed hospital, the TV network said.
Al-Jadeed television meanwhile reported that one person was killed and two others were wounded in the clashes.
“Cautious calm is engulfing the camp amid efforts to contain the clash,” it added.
By long-standing convention, the Lebanese Army does not enter the twelve Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, leaving the Palestinian factions themselves to handle security.
That has created lawless areas in many camps, some of which contain extremists and fugitives.
More than 450,000 Palestinians are registered in Lebanon with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. Most live in squalid conditions in 12 official refugee camps and face a variety of legal restrictions, including on their employment.
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