Forty five years passed for Tel al-Zaatar massacre

Forty five years have passed for Tel al-Zaatar massacre committed against Palestinians and Lebanese in Tel al-Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp, north-east of Beirut in 1976.

Today marks the 45th anniversary of Tel al-Zaatar massacre when right-wing Lebanese militias – with the support of former leader of the Syrian regime Hafez al-Assad – targeted the camp with 55,000 shells over 52 days.

Tal al-Zaatar camp was a collection of sixteen camps for Palestinian refugees with a population between 50,000 and 60,000 people.

Meanwhile, Syrian-backed forces kept the area under a tight siege until they gained control of the camp in August 1976.

Estimates about the death toll vary from 1,500 to 2,000 people – mostly civilians – but others suggest that the total number of victims from the beginning of the siege could be more than 4,000.

There have been no serious investigations into the massacre and as a result dozens of parents still don’t know the fate of their children although more than 45 years has passed since the horrific massacre.