On 14 September 1982 , Bachir Gemayel , the newly elected President of Lebanon , was assassinated by Habib Shartouni of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party . Israeli forces occupied West Beirut the next day . At that time , the Lebanese Christian Militia , also known as the Phalangists , were allied with Israel . The Israeli command authorized the entrance of a force of approximately 150 Phalangist fighters ' into Sabra and the Shatila refugee camp . Shatila had previously been one of the PLO 's three main training camps for foreign militants and the main training camp for European militants ; the Israelis maintained that 2,000 to 3,000 terrorists remained in the camps , but were unwilling to risk the lives of more of their soldiers after the Lebanese army repeatedly refused to " clear them out . " Between 460 and 3,500 civilians , mostly Palestinians and Lebanese Shiites were massacred by the Phalangists , who themselves suffered only two casualties . The Lebanese army 's chief prosecutor investigated the killings and counted 460 dead , Israeli intelligence estimated 700 – 800 dead , and the Palestinian Red Crescent claimed 2,000 dead . 1,200 death certificates were issued to anyone who produced three witnesses claiming a family member disappeared during the time of the massacre . Nearly all of the victims were men . Israeli troops surrounded the camps with tanks and checkpoints , monitoring entrances and exits . Further , Israeli investigation by the Kahan Commission of Inquiry found that Ariel Sharon bore " personal responsibility " for failing to prevent the massacre , and for failing to act once he learned of the massacre . The Commission recommended that he be removed as Defense Minister and that he never hold a position in any future Israeli government . Sharon initially ignored the call to resign , but after the death of an anti-war protester , resigned as Israel 's Defense Minister , remaining in Begin 's cabinet as a Minister without portfolio
massacred
Sabra and Shatila massacre
1982 Lebanon War