Displaced Palestinian refugees at the al-Mousalli mosque, near the Ain al-Hilweh camp, South Lebanon, September 2023. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Most of the displaced Palestinians sheltered at the al-Mousalli mosque in Saida, have been evacuated due to security concerns following the re-ignition of clashes in the Ain al-Hilweh camp, confirmed the mosque's deputy head of relief, Ibrahim Nadir, to L'Orient Today on Thursday.
According to Nadir, those in charge of the mosque requested the evacuation because "the mosque is not safe anymore." He said that "around 200 people were residents in the mosque, most of whom have found alternative shelters except for four families."
The latest wave of violence between Fatah and Islamist groups in the Ain al-Hilweh camp began September 7, leaving at least 18 people dead, hundreds wounded and thousands displaced. A ceasefire was agreed on September 14, following a day of consultations initiated by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. So far, the call for calm has been relatively respected. This marked the second wave of clashes in the camp after the initial fighting broke out at the end of July.
The fighting between Fatah, close to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Islamist groups, notably Jund el-Cham and al-Chabab al-Moslem (Muslim Youth), is part of an internal struggle for dominance between the camp's factions.
Reports of an arrest and seizure by the Lebanese army, of a truck full of ammunition leaving the camp, were denied by a security source to our correspondent on Wednesday. According to the security source, the truck was being used to transport furniture from a house that was occupied by fighters during the clashes and ammunition was found in one of the sofas.