Clashes continue between factions in Palestinian camp in Lebanon as death toll climbs to 9

The death toll rose to nine on July 31 in three days of clashes between Palestinian factions at a refugee camp in Lebanon that have pitted members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party against Islamist groups.

The death toll rose to nine on July 31 in three days of clashes between Palestinian factions at a refugee camp in Lebanon that have pitted members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party against Islamist groups.

A Lebanese lawmaker announced a cease-fire agreement late on July 31 but some gunfire continued afterward, and earlier efforts to broker a cease-fire had failed to stop the shooting and shelling through the narrow streets of the Ein el-Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon.

The violence began on July 29 when an unknown gunman tried to kill Palestinian militant Mahmoud Khalil but instead fatally shot his companion. Full-blown clashes erupted on July 30 when Islamic militants shot and killed a Palestinian military general from the Fatah group, Abu Ashraf al Armoushi, and three escorts as they were walking through a parking lot, according to a Palestinian official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the media.

On July 31 afternoon, after a meeting between Lebanese officials and security forces and Palestinian factions, Lebanese lawmaker Osama Saad, who represents the Sidon area where the camp is located, announced a new ceasefire agreement.

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Mr. Saad earlier told The Associated Press that officials are “making extraordinary efforts to find serious, effective, lasting and stable solutions to the situation inside the camp.”

On the ground, the intensity of the fighting decreased following the announcement, but sporadic shooting continued.