Hamas asks Hezbollah to help restore peace to Palestinian camp

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has requested Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Lebanon's legendary anti-terrorist movement Hezbollah, to help stop the deadly clashes between Palestinian factions in a densely populated refugee camp in Lebanon.

In a message, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh sought Sayyed Nasrallah's mediation as clashes rage between Palestinian groups in the Palestinian Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, Shehab news agency reported on Thursday.

Haniyeh said that Hamas wants peace and stability in Ain al-Hilweh, noting that the weapons of the Palestinian groups must only be directed at the Zionist enemy.

The violence erupted in the refugee camp on Saturday, when an unknown gunman attempted to kill a member of an armed group named Mahmoud Khalil, but fatally shot his companion instead.

In the confrontations that ensued, Abu Ashraf al-Armouchi, a senior commander with the Fatah party who was in charge of security inside Ain al-Hilweh, was killed along with several of his aides.

Reports say many terrorists and extremists have infiltrated the camp and are trying to create chaos.

Speaking during a televised address on Tuesday, Sayyed Nasrallah called for a halt to the clashes, saying, “This fighting must not continue because its repercussions are bad – for the camp’s residents, for the dear Palestinian people … for the south, for all of Lebanon.” 

A ceasefire subsided the fighting, but heavy confrontations resumed on Wednesday.

The Ain al-Hilweh camp is home to more than 63,000 people, most of them Palestinians and their descendants who were forcibly expelled from their homes following the 1948 Nakba Day (the day of catastrophe).

Haniyeh, Berri speak over phone

Haniyeh also discussed the situation in the camp with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

In a telephone conversation, Haniyeh underlined the need for respecting the decisions made by Palestinian authorities and putting weapons aside.

He also called for the cessation of fighting and the withdrawal of armed forces from the streets in a bid to give the fact-finding committee an opportunity to conduct an investigation.

For his part, Berri said that peace should prevail at the camp and that the Palestinian people must live in security and resolve their rifts through dialog and compromise.

SS