Smoke over the Ain al-Hilweh camp after heavy shooting between rival factions, on Sept. 13, 2023. (Credit: MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP)
The Palestinian Joint Security Force, which is composed of representatives from different Palestinian factions, met in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in South Lebanon on Monday, following an agreement reached last week to establish a new ceasefire between the parties involved in the camp's recent clashes.
A Palestinian source with knowledge of the meeting told L'Orient Today that, during the meeting, security officials established the number of people who will be deployed in the camp to ensure its security.
Other measures to impose security will be determined at a later date, including the evacuation of fighters from rival factions from UNRWA schools, the source added.
Violent clashes began in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp on Sept. 7. Fighters included members of the Fatah movement, close to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Islamist groups such as Jund al-Sham and al-Shabab al-Muslim (Muslim Youth).
The clashes, which were part of an internal struggle between factions seeking to establish themselves in the camp, shook Ain al-Hilweh and the surrounding districts of Saida for ten days.
The fighting falls against a backdrop of easing relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and American efforts to bring Saudi Arabia closer to Israel.