Lebanon - The 1982 Sabra and Shatila Massacre | DW Documentary

In September 1982 in Beirut, hundreds of Palestinian refugees were murdered. The massacre was carried out in an atmosphere of rising political tensions following the assassination of a Christian politician. Christian militias exacted revenge on innocent people.

One of the worst atrocities of the Lebanese civil war, a massacre took place from 16 to 18 September 1982 in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in southern Beirut. Christian Phalange militias carried out a massacre of Palestinian refugees. They roamed the camps murdering, raping and torturing hundreds of Palestinian refugees, Shia women, men and children. The Israeli army, which was occupying Beirut at the time and surrounded the camps, looked on as their allies went on their brutal rampage.

The Christian Lebanese politician Bashir Gemayel had just been elected president. But before he could take office, he was killed in a bomb attack blamed on the Syrian intelligence agency. The Christian Phalange militias, allied with Israel, believed that the Palestinian Liberation Organization or PLO was behind the assassination - and sought revenge. Despite the historic impact of the event, more than 40 years later, there have been no convictions.

The film gives voice to victims of the massacre, as well as to witnesses -- including the novelist Jean Genet, who was one of the first to enter the camps after the carnage. By exploring declassified archives in Israel and Lebanon, and gathering previously unseen testimonies, the documentary sheds light on both the motives and the circumstances that led to the tragedy. Through gripping firsthand accounts of both perpetrators and victims, the film also deciphers the historical and geopolitical issues behind this massacre.