UNRWA concerned over situation in Syria Yarmouk camp

The United Nations has expressed concerns over the deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk near the Syrian capital, Damascus, as intense clashes continue between Palestinian armed factions and the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

“Never has the hour been more desperate in the Palestine refugee camp of Yarmouk, in Damascus,” a press release circulated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) read on Sunday, adding, “The lives of civilians in Yarmouk have never been more profoundly threatened.”

The ISIL militants stormed the camp on April 1, apparently in tandem with rivals from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, even though the two groups have fought bloody battles against each other in other parts of Syria.

The UN says nearly 18,000 civilians, including a large number of children, are caught in Yarmouk. Over 90 percent of the camp is now under ISIL control. 

“Men, women and children – Syrians and Palestinians alike – are cowering in their battered homes in profound fear, desperate for security, food and water, deeply concerned by the grave perils that may yet come, as hostilities continue,” said UNRWA's press release.

“The level of our aid has been well below the minimum required,” said UNRWA's statement, noting, “Potable water is now unavailable inside Yarmouk and the meager health facilities that existed have been overrun by conflict. The situation is extremely dire and threatens to deteriorate even further.”

The statement further called for the termination of the fighting in the camp, saying, “We demand that all parties exercise maximum restraint and abide by their obligations under international law to protect civilians.”

The UN agency also called on the international community to exercise their influence to bring to an end the clashes in the camp.

Members of a Palestinian faction called Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis are the main fighters engaged in ferocious skirmishes with ISIL in Yarmouk. They had signed a peace deal with rival Damascus-backed Palestinian groups before ISIL’s attack on the camp. 

Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis fighters are now battling alongside members of those pro-Syrian government Palestinian factions against ISIL terrorists.

ISIL was in control of the camp until 2014, when a deal with the Syrian government saw the group withdraw. The Syrian army has since then besieged the camp as it has turned into a major bastion for spreading anti-government militancy.

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