The Lebanese army has continued to shell the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, as innocent civilians inside are seeking refuge from the bombardment. Does anyone else see the irony in seeking refuge from a refugee camp?

Neither side has been willing to budge. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said, “This is a terrorist gang. They have to surrender themselves and their arms.” A spokesman for Fatah al-Islam, the “terrorist gang” which has previously received backing from the US, responded by saying, “There is no way we will give up our weapons because it is our pride. We cannot even contemplate surrendering.”

Two of the tallest buildings in the camp were leveled along with several others. One Palestinian resident inside the camp painted a dire picture. “Since yesterday morning, the shelling has been ongoing all over the camp. Two shells fell on the building I’m in now. Several buildings have collapsed,” he said. “There’s only one clinic with one doctor left. There’s no electricity, bread or medicine.”

Fatah al-Islam confirmed that one of its senior leaders had been killed on Sunday as the fighting at the camp near the city of Tripoli entered a third week… Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera’s correspondent outside the camp, said Fatah al-Islam confirmed Abu Riyadh, one of its leaders, was killed by an army sniper on Saturday…

…She said the army had managed to reach a few hundred meters inside the camp and clear out pockets of fighters. More than 16 people, fighters and civilians, have died in the camp over the weekend. Fatah al-Islam said it has lost three fighters (which would mean over 13 civilians have been killed since Friday).

The Lebanese government has said it aims to eliminate Fatah al-Islam once and for all.

The Lebanese government has also urged Palestinian refugees trapped inside the camp to “be patient and to expel those criminals from among you,” as they continue to shell the center of the camp where no Fatah al-Islam fighters, only civilians, are concentrated. Though it’s the Lebanese army who continue to bombard civilian areas, Siniora has placed the blame for any civilian casualties squarely on Fatah al-Islam for using the residents as “human shields”.

The camp’s population has fallen from over 31,000 to less than 3,000 since the battle began two weeks ago, with around 65 people having been killed inside the camp. 41 Lebanese army soldiers have also died. Casualties continue to mount, and wounded civilians lie in the streets. A delegation of Palestinian clerics have appealed for a truce in order to transport the wounded to hospitals and bury the dead.

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