Grenade Attack Shakes Ain el-Hilweh Ceasefire

A store burned down after a grenade was tossed in the southern Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh at dawn Tuesday, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA said that a clothing store owned by Palestinian Rasem Sariyeh was gutted by the fire after the hand grenade attack at the camp's al-Fawqani street.

Residents doused the blaze, it said.

The attack was the first since a ceasefire was reached in Ain el-Hilweh over the weekend following deadly clashes that have left 3 Palestinians dead and dozens injured.

Several vehicles and houses were also damaged in the fighting which erupted last week after a Fatah al-Islam member, Omar Natour, killed a Fatah Movement official.

This prompted unknown armed men to kill Natour’s brother in a revenge attack.

Such incidents have become frequent in recent years in Ain el-Hilweh, the largest of Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps.

The shantytown has gained notoriety as a refuge for extremists and fugitives.