We will never know how many people were exactly butchered during those terrible days of the 16th, 17th and 18th of September 1982. 784 or so bodies were recovered by the Civil Defense and were buried in the official massgrave near the southern exit of Shatila. Others were buried by relatives. A large mass grave at a nearby golfcourse and others were not to be opened. Prohibited by the Lebanese government and it's new president Amin Gemayel, Bashir's brother.
When the autumn rains began to fall at the end of November, congested sewers flooded Sabra and Shatila. The congestion was caused in part by bodies that had been dumped in the sewers. The estimates are that at least 1500, but more likely 2000 people were murdered.
When the Israeli army, in violation of the Habib-agreement, occupied West-Beirut, it took over legal responsibility for the protection of the civilian population, including the Palestinians. Sharon's pretext for the invasion was to restore "law and order". But West-Beirut was perfectly quiet.
The Israeli journalists Zeef Schiff and Ehud Ya'ari describe how Sharon insisted on sending Phalangist militiamen into the camps (see "Israel's Lebanon War"). To accomplish this he held meetings on the 15th of September with Elie Hobeika, Fadie Frem and Zahi Bustani (leaders of the militiamen) as well as with Amine and Pierre Gemayel, the political leaders of the Phalangist party.
When the autumn rains began to fall at the end of November, congested sewers flooded Sabra and Shatila. The congestion was caused in part by bodies that had been dumped in the sewers. The estimates are that at least 1500, but more likely 2000 people were murdered.
When the Israeli army, in violation of the Habib-agreement, occupied West-Beirut, it took over legal responsibility for the protection of the civilian population, including the Palestinians. Sharon's pretext for the invasion was to restore "law and order". But West-Beirut was perfectly quiet.
The Israeli journalists Zeef Schiff and Ehud Ya'ari describe how Sharon insisted on sending Phalangist militiamen into the camps (see "Israel's Lebanon War"). To accomplish this he held meetings on the 15th of September with Elie Hobeika, Fadie Frem and Zahi Bustani (leaders of the militiamen) as well as with Amine and Pierre Gemayel, the political leaders of the Phalangist party.