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On April 13 , 1975 , members of the Kataeb Party (Phalange) were attacked in a Drive-by Shooting as they left a church ceremony in Beirut . Four people died, and the attack was believed to have been an attempt on the life of Pierre Gemayel , who blamed it on Palestinian s. Hours later, Phalangist militiamen pulled over a bus carrying Palestinian workers back to the Refugee Camp s. The Palestinians were ordered out at gunpoint and then had their throats slit; 27 people died.

As news of the murders spread, Palestinian militias including the radical Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine (PFLP) went on a rampage through Beirut. Armed clashes with the Phalange erupted throughout the city, and calm was not restored until days later. Later the same year, following Black Saturday , the Lebanese Civil War broke out.