Lebanon: Political Conflicts Obstruct Ain al-Hilweh Truce

People fleeing the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp
People fleeing the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp
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Lebanon: Political Conflicts Obstruct Ain al-Hilweh Truce

People fleeing the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp
People fleeing the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp

Political conflicts and regional interference obstructed the implementation of a ceasefire in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, where violent clashes between the factions continued for the fourth consecutive day.

The use of rocket-propelled grenades and medium machine guns have forced civilians to flee the area.

Fatah sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the movement was fighting to prevent the emergence of an “Islamic state” in the camp, and to “face attempts to remove the PLO from the Palestinian equation in Lebanon.”

The violence began on Saturday when an unknown gunman tried to kill Palestinian militant Mahmoud Khalil but instead fatally shot his companion. Full-blown clashes erupted Sunday when Islamic militants shot and killed a Palestinian military general from the Fatah group, Abu Ashraf al Armoushi, and three of his escorts.

Around 500 fighters from both sides participated in the clashes, according to field sources in Ain al-Hilweh, using rocket-propelled grenades and medium machine guns.

Sources from Fatah stressed that the organization “is the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” adding that the movement “has taken upon itself the security of the camps, and will not accept that they turn into hotbeds of extremists.”

The sources also called for the need to hand over the killers of al-Armoushi to the Lebanese judiciary for trial.

“There is a plan to weaken the PLO and find alternatives to it, through regional and international interventions. This is something that has begun to be implemented within the camps, through financing by unknown sides, and the creation of auxiliary institutions,” the Fatah sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Two ceasefire initiatives have so far failed to be implemented. In addition to the efforts of the Lebanese authorities, the Joint Palestinian Action Committee met in Lebanon and stressed the need to prosecute the perpetrators and commit to the ceasefire.

It also called for the immediate withdrawal of militants from the streets, and for providing a safe environment for the return of all families who were displaced from the camp.



UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

The UN aid chief said Wednesday that recent "horrifying scenes" of Gazans being killed while seeking food aid were the result of "deliberate choices that have systematically deprived" them of essentials to survive.

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of its facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centers were "considered combat zones".

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates.

On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.

"The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

"Emergency medical teams have confirmed treating hundreds of trauma cases. Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire.

"This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive."

He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children," said Fletcher.

The GHF began operations a week ago, but the UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Meanwhile the United Nations has described the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, as a trickle.

"We must be allowed to do our jobs: we have the teams, the plan, the supplies and the experience," said Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"Open the crossings -- all of them. Let in life-saving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in.

"Ensure our convoys aren't held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire."