BEIRUT: All efforts to secure a new ceasefire in the Ain Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon have been halted following recent bloodshed.
Clashes escalated on Sunday between Fatah militants and extremist groups represented by Jund Al-Sham and Al-Shabab Al-Muslim, also known as Muslim Youth.
Shells and bullets hit the perimeter of the camp, the city of Sidon, and the highway to the south, killing at least nine people.
The Muslim Youth group on Sunday afternoon unilaterally declared “a ceasefire and a halt to all military actions from one side.”
A Palestinian leader in the camp told Arab News: “Any ceasefire agreement that might be reached is liable to collapse if it does not address the root of the problem, which is the extradition of those involved in the assassination of Fatah leader Al-Armoushi at the end of July.”
The leader added: “On Saturday, the Fatah movement repeated its attack on the Hattin neighborhood and achieved great progress toward clearing the area and forcing the militants to retreat.”
A Palestinian security source said: “The extremist groups opened a parallel battle on Fatah positions in Jabal Al-Halib and the supporters of these groups, who live in the areas controlled by Fatah, known as sleeper cells, opened fire from the rooftops on Fatah’s rear.”
The source added that the Hamas movement had communicated with the extremist groups and proposed transferring its militants to Syria, but they had refused.
The Fatah attack was repeated on Sunday against the extremist groups.
Some of Hamas’ leaders have proposed that it should take over security in the Ain Al-Hilweh camp as Fatah had failed to do so effectively and had become a party to the ongoing conflict, said the source.
Heavy clashes began at dawn between Fatah and extremist groups. Machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and sniper bullets were used in the clashes.
Two shells fell outside the borders of the camp on the Sidon-Ghazieh road in southern Lebanon.
Several rocket shells exploded in the airspace of the city of Sidon and Darb Al-Sim, and stray bullets injured a citizen.
The eastern highway, which connects Sidon with the south, was closed to traffic, which was diverted to the coastal sea road.
The Palestinian source said: “Fatah will not be able to achieve a decisive victory and we are in a state of attrition.”
