Fighting resumes in the Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. The next war could happen in a matter of days

Armed fighting has erupted again in Lebanon’s largest refugee camp for Palestinians. At least 20 people were injured in the clashes between members of the Palestinian organization Fatah and Islamic groups.

This is reported by the state news agency NNA. Fighting in the Ain al-Hilwah camp near the coastal city of Sidon broke out on Friday evening and continued partly during the day.

By the end of July, heavy fighting had already broken out in the camp. 13 people were killed. The trigger was an alleged assassination attempt on Fatah commander Abu Ashraf al-Armushi, for which the Islamists were blamed. Fatah leaders are demanding an investigation into the case and the extradition of the alleged killer.

With about 80,000 inhabitants, Ain al-Hilwah in the south of the country is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Most residents are refugees from the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 and their descendants. Other Palestinian residents were expelled there during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990). In recent years, Palestinians have also come from Syria because of the civil war there. In 2015, an attack on a Fatah security officer in the camp failed. (rbu/sda/dpa)