Palestinian factions on Thursday began turning over weapons from a refugee camp near Beirut to the Lebanese army, the first step in a plan announced three months ago to disarm the camps.
One pickup left the camp loaded with light weapons packed in bags. The butts of machine guns could be seen protruding from some of the sacks.
It remains unclear whether all factions will abide by the decision.
Representatives of Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Hamas sent a statement signed by "the Palestinian Factions in Lebanon” that called Thursday’s handover of weapons "an internal organizational matter within the Fatah movement” that "has no connection, near or far, to the issue of Palestinian weapons in the camps.”
