Tel al-Zaatar massacre

Tel al-Zaatar massacre
Part of the Lebanese Civil War
The destroyed camp on 31 August 1976 (from the ICRC archives)
LocationTel al-Zaatar camp, Beirut, Lebanon
Date12 August 1976
TargetPalestinians, Lebanese Muslims
Attack type
Massacre
DeathsUnknown
  • 1500 estimated killed in the massacre on Aug 12th
  • 2000-3000 Palestinians estimated killed overall in the siege and massacre
Perpetrators Lebanese Front

The Tel al-Zaatar massacre was the killing of approximately 1500 Palestinians and Lebanese Muslims in the Tel al-Zaatar refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon on 12 August 1976. The massacre occurred during the Lebanese Civil War, after the Tel al-Zaatar refugee camp had been under siege since January 1976 by Lebanese Christian militias of the Lebanese Front led by the Kataeb Phalangists. The attack on al-Zaatar was part of a wider campaign to expel Palestinians from Lebanon, especially those affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). After the massacre, the Tel al-Zaatar refugee camp was depopulated and destroyed.