Hand Grenade Explodes at Ain el-Hilweh Camp

An explosion shock the Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp overnight, state-run National News Agency reported Sunday.

“The blast resulted from a hand grenade that was hurled in the Akbara neighborhood,” NNA said.

No casualties were reported.

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.