The Fall of Tal el Zaatar -

Massacre

Tal-el- Zaatar was a Palestinian refugee camp established in 1948 in the northern part of what was formerly known as East Beirut. On June 22nd, 1976, Tel-el- Zaatar was besieged by Christian Lebanese militias led by the Lebanese Front as part of a wider campaign to expel Palestinians from northern Beirut - particularly those affiliated with the radical wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). On August 12, 1976, the Lebanese Christian militias attacked, and the camp fell on the same day. It is estimated that between 1,000 and 1,500 Palestinians were killed; some were summarily executed and other were kidnapped while fleeing towards West Beirut. Most of the bodies were buried somewhere in the area and were never recovered by their families.