Clashes erupt in Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camp

One civilian was killed and six others wounded Tuesday in fierce clashes that were renewed in Ain el-Helwe, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp in Southern Lebanon's port city of Sidon.

Although a ceasefire was agreed upon during a meeting between the warring factions at the Palestinian embassy in Beirut, gunmen are still fighting in the streets.

A United Nations Relief and Works Agency employee and a child, identified as Arafat Sohyouni, were wounded in sniper fire, shelling and gunfire in al-Fawqani neighborhood. They were admitted to the Rai hospital in the southern city of Sidon for treatment.

Tuesday's meeting at the Palestinian Embassy, the second in two days, was intended to restore calm in the camp. Camp factions agreed on a new cease-fire as well as a new joint security force following the disbandment of the Higher Palestinian Security Committee earlier this month.

Despite the agreement, Islamist gunmen continued the violence, while Fatah has ceased fighting.

Clashes erupted last Thursday between the Fatah Movement and Islamist militants. The gun battles renewed Sunday evening as main factions met to broker a cease-fire that saw the removal of forces from the streets.

The recent events coincided with a visit to the camp by dissident Fatah commander Mohammed Dahlan's wife and son. His wife reportedly seeks to increase Dahlan's influence in Ain al-Hilweh's Fatah Movement at the expense of mainstream Fatah commanders who follow the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas.

It also coincided with the end of President Mahmoud Abbas' three-day visit to Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Lebanese schools adjacent to Ain al-Hilweh camp urged parents to pick up their children, fearing a further deterioration in security.

Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh said in a statement released Tuesday that he is monitoring the security situation by the hour.

"Based on the current situation it was decided that classes (will be) cancelled in a number of professional and technical institutes, as well as schools," Hamadeh said in the statement.

"Students were evacuated, in order to avoid exposing them to risk as a result of sniping that surrounds these institutions" Hamadeh concluded. Endit