In Lebanon, fighting between Lebanese troops and Islamic militants has spread to the southern part of the country. For the past two weeks, Lebanese forces have been shelling the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in the north in its fight against the group Fatah al-Islam. Local residents said the fighting extended to the southern Palestinian refugee camp Ein al-Hilweh on Sunday after the army ignored a deadline set by a local militant group for lifting the siege on Nahr al-Bared. Aid groups have warned that refugees inside Nahr al-Bared are facing severe shortages of food, water and medicine. This is Amnesty International’s Neil Sammonds.

Neil Sammonds: “Amnesty International is very concerned about the innocent Palestinians who have been killed, injured, displaced and subjected to cruel and inhumane conditions during the two weeks of this conflict. Currently we are particularly concerned about the fate and conditions of thousands of the civilians who remain inside Nahr el-Bared now. Among these we have many hundreds of handicapped people, of elderly people and women and children.”

At least 113 people have died since May 20, and about 25,000 Palestinians refugees have fled the Nahr al-Bared camp due to worsening humanitarian conditions.