One Dead in Lebanon Palestinian Refugee Camp Clashes, Fatah Official Says

A torn Palestinian flag flutters at the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A torn Palestinian flag flutters at the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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One Dead in Lebanon Palestinian Refugee Camp Clashes, Fatah Official Says

A torn Palestinian flag flutters at the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A torn Palestinian flag flutters at the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

One person was killed and six others injured in overnight clashes in south Lebanon's restive Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp, a Palestinian official told AFP Sunday.

Clashes inside the camp left "one dead and six camp residents injured, including children," said Mounir Makdah, a senior official in Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement.

"We are working... to end the clashes and hand over those involved in the incident," he added.

Clashes between rival groups are common in Ain al-Helweh, which is home to more than 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees who have been joined in recent years by thousands of Palestinians fleeing the conflict in Syria.

"A member from al-Shabab al-Muslim group was killed, and a leader in the group was among the wounded," said a Palestinian source inside the camp, who requested not to be identified for security reasons.

The clashes pitted members of Fatah movement against Islamist groups in the camp, located near the coastal city of Sidon, the source said.

The incident happened about two months after similar clashes killed a Fatah member in the same camp.

Lebanon's official news agency NNA said "an assassination attempt targeting an Islamist activist" rocked the camp on Saturday, without reporting any casualties.

By long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, leaving the factions themselves to handle security.

That has created lawless areas in many camps, and Ain al-Helweh has gained notoriety as a refuge for extremists and fugitives.

In March, one person was killed and several others wounded in overnight clashes in the camp, that pitted members of Abbas's Fatah movement against Islamist groups in the camp.

More than 450,000 Palestinians are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon.

Most live in one of 12 official refugee camps, often in squalid conditions, and face a variety of legal restrictions, including on their employment.



Tunisian President Sacks Prime Minister

Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Tunisian President Sacks Prime Minister

Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani and appointed Social Affairs Minister Kamel Maddouri as his replacement, the Tunisian presidency said in a statement late on Wednesday.

Hachani was named as Tunisia's prime minister in August last year. A few hours before he was dismissed, Hachani said in a video message that the government had made progress on a number of issues despite global challenges, including securing the country's food and energy needs.

According to Reuters, the dismissal comes amid popular discontent with the recurring water and electricity outage crisis in many parts of the country. While the government says that Tunisia is suffering from a continuous drought that has led to a quota system in water distribution, Saied sees the water cuts as a conspiracy ahead of presidential election and says that the dams are full.

The agriculture ministry says that the dam level is extremely critical and has reached 25 percent.

Saied announced his candidacy for the presidential elections in October amid

widespread criticism

from the opposition, human rights groups and candidates for restricting and intimidating competitors to pave the way for him to win a second term.