Tension overshadowed Ain al-Helweh refugee camp Saturday night due to the detonation of 8 hand grenades in the vicinity of the Taytaba, Boustan al-Quds neighborhoods and the vegetables market intersection in the Fouqani street, followed by gunfire. No casualties were reported.
The joint security forces launched an investigation to reveal the identities of the perpetrators, while Palestinian leaders expressed their fear of the return of tension to the camp.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian popular initiative and youth movement, as well as other committees are set to stage a sit-in on Sunday in the camp’s Fouqani Street to call for restoring calm, security and stability.
Ain el Helweh, a Palestinian refugee camp located on the outskirts of the southern city of Sidon, has become a gathering place to a number of Islamist cells that include Palestinians from inside the camp and people of various nationalities who have been arriving in the camp since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis.
The camp, which is home for at least 61,000 Palestinian refugees including around 6,000 who recently fled the war in Syria, has long been a hub for outlaws and extremist groups with violent outbursts flaring up.