TRIPOLI, Lebanon - A majority of families from a besieged Palestinian refugee camp caught in the crossfire between Islamic militants and the Lebanese army have fled but thousands remain trapped inside, a U.N. official said Sunday.

The Nahr al-Bared camp, located near the outskirts of this northern Lebanon port city, was calm Sunday after sporadic gunfire overnight between the army and Fatah Islam militants inside punctured a four-day-old truce.

Hoda al-Turk, a spokeswoman for U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, known as UNRWA, said more 5,000 refugee families - or about 25,000 refugees - have left the camp since the fighting began one week ago. The camp is home to about 31,000 people.

A majority of the families have fled to the nearby Beddawi refugee camp, while others are staying in Tripoli and other villages, she said.

In a videotape obtained Saturday by AP Television News in Tripoli, the head of the Fatah Islam, Shaker Youssef al-Absi, said his fighters would not surrender but would kill those who storm the camp.

“We wish to die for the sake of God … Sunni people are the spearhead against the Zionist Americans,” said the bearded leader, who is suspected of having ties to al-Qaida. He was shown seated before a black banner, as another militant holding a machine gun stood next to him. The tape also showed militants training in an unidentified camp.

More at Yahoo News