At least 19 people have been killed in fresh violence inside the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon.
17 of those killed were residents of the camp, while the army has confirmed that two of its soldiers lost their lives.
Lebanese ground troops backed by artillery have had the Palestinian refugee camp surrounded in an attempt to force out the Fatah al-Islam militants inside. A 1969 Arab agreement prevents the army from entering Lebanon's 12 Palestinian camps, home to 400,000 refugees.
However, the Lebanese government, pushing for a peaceful end to the standoff, has insisted that the militants hand over fighters to stand trial for recent attacks. But the group is adamant that none of its members will be surrendered.
The humanitarian situation in the camp has been described as desperate.
More than 25,000 of Nahr al-Bared's 31,000 inhabitants have fled to the nearby Beddawi camp.
