Conflict Incident Report

Community leaders in the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp handed over three men accused of taking part in overnight clashes, which left two people killed, to the Internal Security Forces, local sources told The Daily Star.

The men, now in ISF custody, allegedly took part in a gunfight Sunday evening that escalated after two camp residents engaged in a spat over “personal differences,” a Fatah spokesman in Rashidieh said.

At least one of the suspects, identified as Ahmed Mousa, belonged to the Islamist Ansar Allah group, which has a presence inside Rashidieh, while the other two were members of his extended family, the spokesman said.

Monday afternoon, the state-run National News Agency corroborated the handover of “those accused” of taking part in the clashes to Lebanese authorities.

The fighting broke out late Sunday night over “personal differences” between Nour Deeb and Ahmed Mousa, who were sitting in an Ansar Allah-affiliated cafe inside the camp, according to the Fatah spokesman. The argument escalated when Mousa shot Deeb in the stomach.

Deeb succumbed to his wounds en route to a nearby hospital, a security source told The Daily Star late Sunday evening. His death spurred members of his extended family to take to the streets, shooting into the air and setting fire to Mousa’s home. A second man, identified as Deeb's brother-in-law Saeed Masoud, also died as a result of the firefight, NNA reported.

Members of the Fatah Movement later handed over Mousa and two other men accused of taking part in the clashes to the ISF, according to a statement released by the Palestinian group.

An Ansar Allah spokesman confirmed on Monday that Mousa was a member of their group.

Family members of the two slain men began making preparations for their burial Monday, according to a statement released by Fatah.

Meanwhile, UNRWA schools inside the camp closed their doors on Monday, as an atmosphere of “tension” remained in Rashidieh following the overnight clashes, NNA reported.

Rashidieh, which sits five kilometers south of Tyre along the Lebanese coast, is home to more than 31,478 registered Palestinian refugees, according to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.