ISIS & Al-Nusrah Cause Humanitarian Crisis for Palestinian Refugees in Yarmouk

 nsnbc : Renewed heavy clashes between battle groups linked to ISIL and Jabhat Al-Nusrah in Yarmouk, the most populous Palestinian refugee camp and residential area in Damascus, have displaced thousands of Palestinians and forced other thousands to hide in the homes and basements. The UNRWA stresses that it calls for an immediate end to the fighting so it can resume its humanitarian mission in the area.

Yarmouk, Damascus (archives)

Yarmouk, Damascus (archives)

Fighting between the two terrorist organizations flared up again on April 6 and has cost the lives of an unknown number of civilian non-combatants since then. Over 40 fighters have been killed in the infighting in recent days. Moreover, both the self-proclaimed Islamic State (a.k.a. ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) and Jabhat Al-Nusrah use Yarmouk for attacks against Syrian government and Syrian national self-defense forces.

The fact that thousands of non-combatant Palestinian refugees and residents are captured in Yarmouk complicates operations for the Syrian Arab Army, who on one hand attempts to dislodge Al-Nusrah and ISIL, and on the other hand has to rely on aerial observations, the gathering og human intelligence, communications monitoring, and other means to target Al-Nusrah and ISIL while avoiding casualties among the civilian, non-combatant population.

Neither ISIL nor Al-Nusrah and affiliated battle groups are part of the nationwide ceasefire regime in Syria. Both organizations have been designated as terrorist organizations by the UN Security Council.

Even though Yarmouk officially is designated as “refugee camp” the designation can be misleading, especially for those who are unaware of the status Palestinian refugees enjoy in Syria. Yarmouk is a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus. It is normally populated by 200,000 residents, most of which are Palestinian. Palestinians in Syria enjoy, contrary to Palestinians refugees in other countries like Lebanon, largely  the same rights and privileges as Syrians.

Local sources reported to nsnbc that there currently are no more than 4,000 to 8,000 families in Yarmouk while the rest has been forced to flee the area. Our source estimates that ongoing fighting in Yarmouk has trapped at least 2,500 families who have to remain inside their homes or in their basements. May of them don’t have access to food, water and basic medicines. The fighting has also spread to Yalda, Babila and Beit Saham.

A spokesperson for Palestinian popular committees from Yarmouk told nsnbc’s local source that the residents of Yarmouk call on the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and on all Palestinian factions to pressure all of the involved State and non-state actors to do their utmost to bring an immediate end to the fighting and to assure that Yarmouk be cleansed of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, Jabhat Al-Nusrah and any other militant organization that is not part of the nationwide ceasefire. The spokesperson, who prefers to remain unidentified for his own security also stresses that Hamas should consider the role it has played in bringing the war to Yarmouk and other Palestinian refugee camps in Syria. It is time for Hamas to take positive action as “Palestinians” he added.

UNRWA registered a marked increase in typhoid in Yarmouk

UNRWA registered a marked increase in typhoid in Yarmouk

Fighting and the collapse of infrastructure and medical services has led to outbreaks of typhoid in Yarmouk and Yalda. Christopher Gunness, the spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) stressed that the UNRWA is alarmed and concerned about the desperate humanitarian consequences that have been inflicted on civilians in Yarmouk and Yalda since April 6.

Gunness stressed that the fighting has been intense and is taking place in the most densely populated areas of Yarmouk, with the use of heavy weapons, explosive devices and weapons of indiscriminate effect. The impact on civilian life has been devastating, he stated. The UNRWA is particularly distressed by reports of several civilian fatalities and injuries, and the Agency’s thoughts are with the bereaved and affected families.  Without humanitarian access to the camp, it is impossible to be precise about numbers of fatalities and injuries. Christopher Gunness noted that the UNRWA states that:

Up to 10,000 civilians are trapped in their homes, where they are hunkered down to avoid being hit by bullets and shrapnel. Whatever supplies of food and water they had have long been exhausted. Given the frequently intense fighting, the overwhelming risk of serious injury and death prevents civilians from leaving their homes to search for food, fetch water, or seek medical treatment for injuries. Civilians in Yarmouk are facing starvation and dehydration alongside the heightened risks of serious injury and death from the armed conflict.  With the fighting now in its tenth day, civilians are enduring yet another extraordinary episode of deep trauma and abject suffering amidst a sharp escalation of humanitarian need in Yarmouk.

 The agency stressed that it deeply deplores the inhumane deprivation currently imposed on civilians in Yarmouk and that the UNRWA calls on the individuals and entities involved to cease hostilities, to comply with the obligations under international humanitarian law to which they are subject, and to respect and protect the lives of civilians in Yarmouk. An immediate end to the fighting is imperative to avert further appalling suffering among civilians in Yarmouk. The fighting has forced the agency to cease operations in Yarmouk and Yalda.  he UNRWA notes that it stands ready to resume – as soon as it is safe to do so – its humanitarian missions to support civilians in the area.

CH/L nsnbc 16.04.2016

Related background article.

Stealing Palestine: Who dragged Palestinians into Syria’s conflict?

Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2016/04/17/isis-al-nusrah-cause-humanitarian-crisis-for-palestinian-refugees-in-yarmouk/

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