Hezbollah chief urges halt to Palestinian camp clashes in Lebanon

The head of the powerful armed group Hezbollah has called for a halt to days of deadly clashes that have raged between rival factions in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon.

At least 11 people have been killed in the camp since fighting broke out on Saturday between mainstream faction Fatah and the Junud al-Sham group.“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,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address on Tuesday.

The United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said at least 2,000 people have fled their homes in the camp and UNRWA activities were suspended due to the violence.

Local media reported that more than 40 people, including children, have been wounded in the camp near the port city of Sidon.

Mohammed Baba, a paramedic, told Al Jazeera it has been “very difficult to reach the wounded and the sick because of the fighting”.“There are a lot of homes that have been damaged and destroyed. There are many children that are caught in the crossfire,” he said.Negotiations between the rival factions have led to brief suspensions of fighting but have failed to secure a lasting ceasefire, with heavy clashes resuming on Tuesday.

Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon and is vehemently opposed to Israel, has ties to Palestinian factions and supports their cause.

Nasrallah on Tuesday said anyone who could “pressure, say a word, make contact, make an effort” to secure a truce should do so.