Fierce fighting with heavy guns and rocket propelled grenades resumed Tuesday in the refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh near the city of Saida in south Lebanon, where fighters from the mainstream Fatah Movement and Islamist groups have been battling for the past four days.

According to media reports, a rocket crashed at the entrance of a building in the camp’s vicinity where a group of journalists covering the fighting were stationed. There was no casualties among the journalists who were posted on the building’s rooftop.

The fighting which has been raging since Saturday has so far claimed the lives of 11 people. More than 45 others were injured and thousands of the camp’s residents fled to the city.

Sporadic gunfire and rocket explosions rocked Saida throughout the night Monday till Tuesday morning despite a humanitarian truce reached between the camp’s fighters last night.  The clashes, however, intensified by midday as medium and heavy weaponry were used.

Fatah sources were quoted by Dubai-based Al Hadath TV as saying that the Islamist militant group, Jund al-Sham. has infiltrated Ain el Hilweh with Hezbollah’s knowledge in order to inflame the situation inside the camp..

Head of Fatah Militia in Lebanon, Mounir Maqdah was quoted by el-Nashra news agency as saying that the timing of the flareup in Ain El Hilweh is “suspicious” and could be aimed at “exploding the camps.”

The clashes erupted on Saturday after a military official from Fatah, the main Palestinian group, and four of his “comrades” were killed in an ambush.

In Saida, a timid movement was observed amid extensive closures of various sectors and official departments, including the Saida Serail. Such closures came in response to the shells that hit the city yesterday and the stray bullets that reached nearby neighborhoods, causing damage to houses, offices and solar panels. The Omani school around Ain Al-Hilweh camp also had its share of damage.

In response to the unabating violence,  a meetings took place at Dar Al-Fatwa between representatives of the main Palestinian factions and political parties in the area to find effective ways to contain the violence and consolidate the ceasefire in the camp.

Tragically, the Ain Al-Hilweh clashes have led to a significant displacement of camp residents, with over 60% seeking refuge in the city of Saida. The death toll has now risen to 10, as injured succumbed to their wounds, and the number of wounded reached at least 45.

Dorothee Klaus, director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, told the French news agency (AFP) on July 31 that the death toll had risen to 11 dead and 40 injured since Saturday in the largest Palestinian refugee camp. Earlier, medical sources had reported eight dead in three days of clashes.