Middle East Monitor / September 26, 2023
A joint Palestinian security force has been deployed in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon in an effort to quell rising tensions.
The force was deployed yesterday in the areas of Al-Safsaf, Al-Ras al-Ahmar, Al-Tiri and Al-Buraq Central, which were considered frontline a reas that witnessed the fiercest rounds of fighting between the conflicting parties within the camp, including Fatah and the Muslim Youth Assembly.
The commander of the joint security force, Major General Mahmoud al-Ajouri, said in a statement that “the joint force represents all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, Osbat al-Ansar and Al-Haraka al-Islamiyya al-Mujahida. Everyone agreed on this step during the Palestinian Joint Action Committee meeting, and we have assurances for the implementation of the deployment without any obstacles today.”
On 29 July, the camp saw heavy clashes between Palestinian factions, which left 11 people dead and more than 40 others injured, according to the UN.
Established in 1948, Ein al-Hilweh is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, with 50,000 registered people, according to UN figures, though unofficial statistics put the camp’s population at 70,000.
