Palestinian Killed in Ain el-Hilweh Shooting

W460

Palestinian national Abd Abu Sannan was killed on Thursday at the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, state-run National News Agency reported.

“A personal dispute erupted between Abu Sannan and his compatriot Hussein Miri in the camp's al-Briksat area before escalating into gunfire,” NNA said.

“Abu Sannan was gravely injured in the shooting before being rushed in critical condition to hospital where he soon succumbed to his wounds,” the agency added.

By long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter the twelve Palestinian refugee camps in the country, leaving the Palestinian factions themselves to handle security.

That has created lawless areas in many camps, and Ain el-Hilweh has gained notoriety as a refuge for extremists and fugitives.

But the camp is also home to more than 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees who have been joined in recent years by thousands of Palestinians fleeing the fighting in Syria.

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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