BEIRUT, Lebanon -
Two local Red Cross workers helping coordinate negotiations between the Lebanese army and Islamic militants in a besieged Palestinian refugee camp were shot to death on Monday, hospital officials said.The workers were killed in their vehicle as they tried to escort a Muslim scholar trying to mediate an end to fighting between the Lebanese army and Fatah Islam militants, out of the Nahr el-Bared camp, the officials said. The scholar, Sheik Mohammed Haj Ali, was injured in the leg, said the hospital officials from Islamic Hospital in the northern city of Tripoli where the victims were taken. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to speak publicly to the media.
Red Cross officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Lebanese troops exchanged sporadic gunfire with the militants on Monday in the fourth week of fighting in the camp.
The leading An-Nahar newspaper reported Monday that "the Nahr el-Bared battle is headed toward a big escalation," saying the Lebanese military had brought in new reinforcements, including more effective artillery and additional naval forces, while pro-Syrian Palestinian factions had joined Fatah Islam militants in their fight.
Curious: I guess this sheik couldn't be the same person as the "senior Hamas activist" shot dead by Israeli soldiers in 2002, right?
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