Recent Ain al-Hilweh killing highlights extremist threat and personal motives — the details

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

In the Safsaf neighborhood of the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, footage documents the killing of Abed Fodda by Mohammad Hamad, who shot him multiple times inside the camp.

The video shows Abed Fodda lying on the ground as the gunman stands over him, retrieves his handgun, and then leaves the scene.

There was no political or security-related motive behind the killing. The motive was purely familial. The shooter had previously refused to approve Abed Fodda’s marriage to his sister, while the victim had earlier threatened a man who sought to marry her. 

On Friday evening, the two men met in the Safsaf neighborhood. An argument broke out, after which Mohammad Hamad shot Abed Fodda and fled.

While the motive was personal, both the victim and the shooter are well-known figures among extremist groups operating in Ain al-Hilweh.

Abdel Aziz Mohammad al-Hammoud, known as Abed Fodda, was a senior figure in an extremist group in the Safsaf neighborhood. He was affiliated with Fatah al-Islam and had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. 

He took part in fighting against the Lebanese army during clashes in 2014 and was involved in several confrontations inside the camp alongside Fatah al-Islam. 

He had planned to plant an explosive device in a school inside the camp and to bomb a military bus. Abed Fodda was considered one of the most prominent leaders of extremist groups in the camp for many years, alongside Bilal Bader, Haitham al-Shaabi, and Toufic Taha, in addition to other figures who later left the camp.

The shooter is also described as an extremist who led a small group in the Safsaf neighborhood and was affiliated with the Islamic State group. Several sources say he, the victim, and a third individual were involved in incitement against singer Fadel Chaker, calling for his removal from the camp after he released new artistic and musical works.

Although the incident was personal in nature, it once again highlights a central challenge facing Palestinian refugee camps, particularly Ain al-Hilweh, the largest such camp in Lebanon. 

Efforts to limit weapons in the camps have focused on arms held by the Palestine Liberation Organization, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad have not cooperated. As for extremist groups, whose presence, ideology and external ties pose a greater threat than the weapons they possess, they have remained dormant for some time. 

However, questions persist about whether there is any official plan to address them, with the aim of removing them from the camps. Proposals have included assigning a media figure to engage with these groups to better understand their demands.