BEIRUT: Clashes with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades erupted between rival Palestinian gunmen in the refugee camp of Burj al-Barajneh in the southern suburb of Beirut Monday, killing a woman and injuring several others, security sources told The Daily Star.
The sources said the armed men were followers of two rival local Fatah leaders identified as Hikmat Akar, and Mohammad Ghadiyeh.
The clash broke out after Ghadiyeh’s gunmen set on fire a motorcycle belonging to Akar. Soon after, Akar’s followers took to the streets of the sprawling camp, opening fire on their rivals with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
A Syrian woman refugee living in the camp was killed, and several others were injured, including Akar’s brother, the sources said.
Both Akar and Ghadiyeh are wanted by the Lebanese authorities, and judicial summoning warrants have been issued against them, but Fatah’s leadership in the camp has so far turned a deaf ear on Lebanese police demands to hand them over, the sources added.
Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are largely outside the jurisdiction of Lebanese authorities. Militants and fugitives often hideout in Lebanon's 12 refugee camps.
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