12 jan 2014
Efforts to send supplies into Syria's besieged Yarmouk camp are still futile, Palestinian officials said Sunday.
"All efforts to end the siege on Yarmouk camp have failed," the director of the Palestinian Democratic Union told Ma'an.
There was "an incident that occurred at the entrance of the camp, preventing the entry of supplies," Khalid Abu al-Haija said, without elaborating.
A PLO Executive Committee member said that the presence of militants in Yarmouk camp impeded the entry of supplies, due to a heavy exchange of fire.
Ahmad Majdalani said that Palestinian officials would continue their efforts to "save refugees in Yarmouk camp."
"We are in intensive contact with Syrian officials and militants in Palestinian camps in Syria in order to reach a solution and create a safe passage for the entry of relief supplies to Yarmouk," Majdalani said.
The lives of refugees are in danger, he said.
Earlier Sunday, Fatah Central Committee Member Muhammad Shtayyeh told Ma'an that the siege on Yarmouk would be lifted "tomorrow."
Also Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 Palestinians had died in Yarmouk camp as a result of starvation and medicine shortages throughout the past three months.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
More than 760,000 Palestinians -- estimated today to number 4.8 million with their descendants -- were pushed into exile or driven out of their homes in the conflict surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.
Fatah official: Yarmouk seige to be lifted Monday
A Fatah official said that the siege on Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp would be lifted on Monday.
Central Committee Member Mohammad Shtayyeh said Sunday that Palestinian sources in Yarmouk told him the siege would be lifted on Monday, without providing further details.
Also Sunday, a delegation led by Shtayyeh and the Palestinian ambassador to Jordan visited a refugee camp in Jordan.
Shtayyeh said the delegation provided financial support to over 400 Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Cyber City refugee camp near Irbid.
"We listened to their problems, and gave them a letter from our people in Palestine saying that we aim to ease the pain and suffering of our brothers who have been displaced two or three times."
The aid was a result of coordination with the Palestinian embassy in Jordan, he said.
The delegation also visited Zaatari camp, which holds 150,000 Syrian refugees, Shtayyeh said.
Shtayyeh praised Jordan for "providing for the needs of refugees."
On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 Palestinians had died in Yarmouk camp as a result of starvation and medicine shortages throughout the past three months.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
More than 760,000 Palestinians -- estimated today to number 4.8 million with their descendants -- were pushed into exile or driven out of their homes in the conflict surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.
"All efforts to end the siege on Yarmouk camp have failed," the director of the Palestinian Democratic Union told Ma'an.
There was "an incident that occurred at the entrance of the camp, preventing the entry of supplies," Khalid Abu al-Haija said, without elaborating.
A PLO Executive Committee member said that the presence of militants in Yarmouk camp impeded the entry of supplies, due to a heavy exchange of fire.
Ahmad Majdalani said that Palestinian officials would continue their efforts to "save refugees in Yarmouk camp."
"We are in intensive contact with Syrian officials and militants in Palestinian camps in Syria in order to reach a solution and create a safe passage for the entry of relief supplies to Yarmouk," Majdalani said.
The lives of refugees are in danger, he said.
Earlier Sunday, Fatah Central Committee Member Muhammad Shtayyeh told Ma'an that the siege on Yarmouk would be lifted "tomorrow."
Also Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 Palestinians had died in Yarmouk camp as a result of starvation and medicine shortages throughout the past three months.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
More than 760,000 Palestinians -- estimated today to number 4.8 million with their descendants -- were pushed into exile or driven out of their homes in the conflict surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.
Fatah official: Yarmouk seige to be lifted Monday
A Fatah official said that the siege on Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp would be lifted on Monday.
Central Committee Member Mohammad Shtayyeh said Sunday that Palestinian sources in Yarmouk told him the siege would be lifted on Monday, without providing further details.
Also Sunday, a delegation led by Shtayyeh and the Palestinian ambassador to Jordan visited a refugee camp in Jordan.
Shtayyeh said the delegation provided financial support to over 400 Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Cyber City refugee camp near Irbid.
"We listened to their problems, and gave them a letter from our people in Palestine saying that we aim to ease the pain and suffering of our brothers who have been displaced two or three times."
The aid was a result of coordination with the Palestinian embassy in Jordan, he said.
The delegation also visited Zaatari camp, which holds 150,000 Syrian refugees, Shtayyeh said.
Shtayyeh praised Jordan for "providing for the needs of refugees."
On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 43 Palestinians had died in Yarmouk camp as a result of starvation and medicine shortages throughout the past three months.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
More than 760,000 Palestinians -- estimated today to number 4.8 million with their descendants -- were pushed into exile or driven out of their homes in the conflict surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.
President Mahmoud Abbas stressed Saturday that there will be no peace agreement with Israel without an agreement over Jerusalem. “Without Jerusalem there will be no peace between us,” Abbas told crowds from Jerusalem at his headquarters.
“Without Jerusalem written clearly and in bold, there will not be peace with them,” he added.
Abbas said he heard Israelis say that Jerusalem will not be on the agenda of a final peace agreement.
However, he made it clear that the Palestinians are not going to give up on the fact that Jerusalem, occupied in 1967, is going to be the capital of their future independent state.
Abbas said he went to the United Nations to achieve certain goals, which he said he did achieve them.
“We went and we will continue on this path,” he said.
Abbas stressed that the Palestinians have rights “and we will continue to demand our rights until in the end we get them.”
Until then, he said, the Palestinians will remain steadfast in Jerusalem, in the West Bank, in the Gaza Strip and anywhere there are Palestinians.
“We are not going to kneel to anyone or anything,” he stressed.
Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian right of return to their occupied lands since1948 is like marriage.
He added, this right is personal and the Palestinians could choose and then decide what they want.
Abbas added, the authority, state, organization or he himself could not deprive anyone from his right of return.
"There may be several options, and the refugees are to choose. There are compensation and other choices,”." He said, pointing out that even the father cannot waive the right of his children, as a personal right.
“Without Jerusalem written clearly and in bold, there will not be peace with them,” he added.
Abbas said he heard Israelis say that Jerusalem will not be on the agenda of a final peace agreement.
However, he made it clear that the Palestinians are not going to give up on the fact that Jerusalem, occupied in 1967, is going to be the capital of their future independent state.
Abbas said he went to the United Nations to achieve certain goals, which he said he did achieve them.
“We went and we will continue on this path,” he said.
Abbas stressed that the Palestinians have rights “and we will continue to demand our rights until in the end we get them.”
Until then, he said, the Palestinians will remain steadfast in Jerusalem, in the West Bank, in the Gaza Strip and anywhere there are Palestinians.
“We are not going to kneel to anyone or anything,” he stressed.
Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian right of return to their occupied lands since1948 is like marriage.
He added, this right is personal and the Palestinians could choose and then decide what they want.
Abbas added, the authority, state, organization or he himself could not deprive anyone from his right of return.
"There may be several options, and the refugees are to choose. There are compensation and other choices,”." He said, pointing out that even the father cannot waive the right of his children, as a personal right.
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The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs launched on Friday a fundraising campaign for the sake of the Palestinian refugees trapped in Yarmouk camp in Syria due to ongoing conflict between the rebellions and Syrian regime army. Imams in Gaza mosques called, during Friday payers, all citizens for donating their money for those who are dying from hunger in Syria.
Gazans responded positively for mosques’ call despite their hard economic conditions. According to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 41 Palestinian refugees died out of food and medical shortages, including women and children. |
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Yarmouk was once home to some 170,000 people but tens of thousands have fled fighting in the camp.
Syria is officially home to nearly 500,000 Palestinian refugees, around half of whom have been displaced by the conflict that broke out in March 2011, becoming refugees for a second time. Syria's army has imposed tight sieges on several rebel towns and neighborhoods near Damascus and beyond. Video |
The action group for the Palestinians in Syria strongly denounced head of the popular front-general command (PFLP-GC) Hosam Arafat in the West Bank for minimizing the tragedy of Al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, which led 40 Palestinians to starve to death. Coordinator of the action group Tareq Hamoud told Quds Press that Arafat's claim that a few number of Palestinians were affected by the blockade on Al-Yarmouk camp was an implicit confession of the GC's direct responsibility for the siege imposed on Al-Yarmouk refugees.
Hamoud stated that such an attempt to play down the number of the victims or the affected people reflects that the leadership of the GC has no moral, humanitarian or national feelings.
He held the Syrian regime and the leadership of the PFLP-GC fully responsible for the inhumane blockade imposed on Al-Yarmouk refugees.
In a related incident, dozens of Palestinian protestors were able to rally outside the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah to demand it to take action ending the blockade on Al-Yarmouk camp.
The protestors chanted slogans against the parties that are besieging the camp and slammed the Palestine liberation origination (PLO) and the PA for not moving to save Al-Yarmouk Palestinians.
Hamoud stated that such an attempt to play down the number of the victims or the affected people reflects that the leadership of the GC has no moral, humanitarian or national feelings.
He held the Syrian regime and the leadership of the PFLP-GC fully responsible for the inhumane blockade imposed on Al-Yarmouk refugees.
In a related incident, dozens of Palestinian protestors were able to rally outside the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah to demand it to take action ending the blockade on Al-Yarmouk camp.
The protestors chanted slogans against the parties that are besieging the camp and slammed the Palestine liberation origination (PLO) and the PA for not moving to save Al-Yarmouk Palestinians.
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Protesters held a sit-in at the offices of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Ramallah on Sunday morning in protest against the PLO's inaction in the face of the crisis facing Palestinian refugees in Syria.
Activists gathered at the main entrance to the building which houses the offices of the PLO and tried to prevent employees from accessing their offices in protest against the "delayed" efforts of the PLO to prevent a "famine" in Syria's besieged Yarmouk refugee camp. Palestinian Authority security forces deployed in the area in order to disperse the protest, but protesters refused to leave and staged a sit-in strike in front of the building. Protester Rita Abu Ghosh told a Ma'an reporter that security officers took the identity cards of several protesters. Abu Ghosh added that security forces also detained an activist she identified as Yasin Sbeih. An employee in the PLO office named Fayiz Salamah denied earlier reports that the offices had been shut down. Salamah told Ma'an via telephone that he invited the protestors into the building to convey their message, but they refused. Video |
He asserted that all employees entered the building and started work normally.
"If freedom of expression impedes national interests, it should be reconsidered," he said.
Solidarity demonstrations have taken place with Yarmouk across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in recent days as reports of starvation in the camp have rapidly increased.
On Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 41 Palestinians had died there as a result of starvation and medicine shortages.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
"If freedom of expression impedes national interests, it should be reconsidered," he said.
Solidarity demonstrations have taken place with Yarmouk across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in recent days as reports of starvation in the camp have rapidly increased.
On Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 41 Palestinians had died there as a result of starvation and medicine shortages.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
Fatah leader Abbas Zaki told Ma'an in mid-October that Yarmouk's population of 250,000 had dwindled to 18,000 after two and a half years of conflict in Syria.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
Adel Makki rushed into the street in Beirut's Shatila Palestinian refugee camp Saturday to hand out sweets when he learned of the death of Ariel Sharon, the Israeli leader Palestinians blame for a massacre of hundreds there and in the nearby Sabra camp.
"I was relieved when I found out that Sharon was dead. I think the (eight) years he spent in a coma were punishment from God for the crimes he committed," Makki, age 19, told AFP.
Over three days, beginning on September 16, 1982, hundreds of men, women and children were massacred in Sabra and Shatila on the southern outskirts of Beirut.
Some 500 more simply vanished without a trace, among them Makki's uncle.
Israel had invaded Lebanon three months before, and the brutal killings, the work of Israel's Lebanese Phalangist allies, were carried out as Israeli troops surrounded the camps.
Sharon, who was defense minister at the time, was forced to resign after an Israeli commission of inquiry found he had been "indirectly responsible" for the massacres.
Ten-year-old Ahmad Khodr al-Gosh said Saturday: "I took a piece of candy because the assassin is dead. He killed hundreds of women and children. We are now relieved."
The narrow alleyways of the impoverished Shatila camp came to life when the news broke.
People poured out of their miserable dwellings to celebrate the passing of Sharon, who died Saturday in a hospital near Tel Aviv after spending eight years in a coma.
"You want to know how I feel? I want to sing and play music, that is how," said Umm Ali, a 65-year-old woman clad in black whose brother Mohammad died in the massacre.
"I would have liked so much to stab him to death. He would have suffered more," she said of Sharon, as she walked slowly, linking arms with a young relative.
Many residents of Sabra and Shatila said Sharon should have been prosecuted, echoing the statements of many compatriots in the Palestinian territories and rights watchdogs.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, said "it’s a shame that Sharon has gone to his grave without facing justice for his role in Sabra and Shatila and other abuses."
Shopkeeper Mirvat al-Amine agreed that Sharon should have been put on trial but she is also confident that he will meet divine justice.
"Of course I am happy that he is dead. I would have liked to see him go on trial before the entire world for his crimes but there is divine justice and he cannot escape that.
"The tribunal of God is more severe than any court down here," she said.
Outside the shop Magida, aged 40, says she is still haunted by memories of the massacre.
She and her family had fled Shatila just before the killings after sensing that something was not right, she said.
They sought shelter in an adjacent park and waited.
"A neighbor joined us, her dress was covered in blood. She told us that people were being massacred in the streets," said Magida.
"At first we could not believe it but later we began hearing screams, we heard people begging their assassins to spare them."
When Adnan al-Moqdad heard the news about Sharon, he went to the cemetery in Sabra to pray for the soul of his mother and father, killed in the massacre.
The Moqdads were Lebanese but like many impoverished families had their home in the sprawling camps.
"How can anyone forget the massacre," he asked "Sharon is responsible. God is Great and he made him suffer to the end of his days and he will make his suffer after his death."
"I was relieved when I found out that Sharon was dead. I think the (eight) years he spent in a coma were punishment from God for the crimes he committed," Makki, age 19, told AFP.
Over three days, beginning on September 16, 1982, hundreds of men, women and children were massacred in Sabra and Shatila on the southern outskirts of Beirut.
Some 500 more simply vanished without a trace, among them Makki's uncle.
Israel had invaded Lebanon three months before, and the brutal killings, the work of Israel's Lebanese Phalangist allies, were carried out as Israeli troops surrounded the camps.
Sharon, who was defense minister at the time, was forced to resign after an Israeli commission of inquiry found he had been "indirectly responsible" for the massacres.
Ten-year-old Ahmad Khodr al-Gosh said Saturday: "I took a piece of candy because the assassin is dead. He killed hundreds of women and children. We are now relieved."
The narrow alleyways of the impoverished Shatila camp came to life when the news broke.
People poured out of their miserable dwellings to celebrate the passing of Sharon, who died Saturday in a hospital near Tel Aviv after spending eight years in a coma.
"You want to know how I feel? I want to sing and play music, that is how," said Umm Ali, a 65-year-old woman clad in black whose brother Mohammad died in the massacre.
"I would have liked so much to stab him to death. He would have suffered more," she said of Sharon, as she walked slowly, linking arms with a young relative.
Many residents of Sabra and Shatila said Sharon should have been prosecuted, echoing the statements of many compatriots in the Palestinian territories and rights watchdogs.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, said "it’s a shame that Sharon has gone to his grave without facing justice for his role in Sabra and Shatila and other abuses."
Shopkeeper Mirvat al-Amine agreed that Sharon should have been put on trial but she is also confident that he will meet divine justice.
"Of course I am happy that he is dead. I would have liked to see him go on trial before the entire world for his crimes but there is divine justice and he cannot escape that.
"The tribunal of God is more severe than any court down here," she said.
Outside the shop Magida, aged 40, says she is still haunted by memories of the massacre.
She and her family had fled Shatila just before the killings after sensing that something was not right, she said.
They sought shelter in an adjacent park and waited.
"A neighbor joined us, her dress was covered in blood. She told us that people were being massacred in the streets," said Magida.
"At first we could not believe it but later we began hearing screams, we heard people begging their assassins to spare them."
When Adnan al-Moqdad heard the news about Sharon, he went to the cemetery in Sabra to pray for the soul of his mother and father, killed in the massacre.
The Moqdads were Lebanese but like many impoverished families had their home in the sprawling camps.
"How can anyone forget the massacre," he asked "Sharon is responsible. God is Great and he made him suffer to the end of his days and he will make his suffer after his death."
11 jan 2014
Palestinian MP Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative movement, said that the events taking place in the Yarmouk refugee camp represent "a second Nakba and cannot be tolerated." Barghouthi stressed that the suffering of the Palestinian refugees in the Yarmouk camp reminds of what they had experienced during the crime of the Nakba committed by the Israeli gangs in 1948.
He called for putting an end to the suffering of the Palestinians in Syria, especially in the Yarmouk refugee camp, and keeping them away from the ravages of war and conflict.
The deputy said: "Our people in the Yarmouk refugee camp are exposed to a real tragedy that includes killing, displacement, and siege, which threatens their lives."
He called upon all parties to assume their responsibilities and save the lives of the people who are dying of hunger and cold, pointing out that more than 150 thousand Palestinians have been displaced from the Yarmouk camp while about two thousand others were killed there during the ongoing events.
He called for putting an end to the suffering of the Palestinians in Syria, especially in the Yarmouk refugee camp, and keeping them away from the ravages of war and conflict.
The deputy said: "Our people in the Yarmouk refugee camp are exposed to a real tragedy that includes killing, displacement, and siege, which threatens their lives."
He called upon all parties to assume their responsibilities and save the lives of the people who are dying of hunger and cold, pointing out that more than 150 thousand Palestinians have been displaced from the Yarmouk camp while about two thousand others were killed there during the ongoing events.
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List of the radios participating in the solidarity show
53 local Palestinian radio stations have launched on Saturday a “Media Day of Solidarity” with the Palestinians in Syria’s Yarmouk refugee camp. The radios are based in either the Gaza Strip or the West bank. They all simultaneously broadcasted a programme directed to support the people of the camp. In a statement to Anadula Agency, Mahmoud Harbiyat, a coordinator of the event, said that “more than 55 local radio tuned the FM to the frequency of Ramallah-based Raya FM Radio, as part of a national day to show |
solidarity with the residents of the Yarmouk refugee camp besieged for more than 6 months,”
The radios demanded, according to Harbiyat, for urgently opening a safe passage to aid and food supplies to the population in the camp, and to provide treatment to rescue some 300 wounded as a result of the Syrian Army’s continued shelling.
The show included receiving phone calls from West Bank and Gaza Strip citizens who expressed their solidarity with the Yarmouk refugees, in addition to contacting with a number of residents of the camp and Palestinian officials.
The broadcast began at 08:00 A.M and is scheduled to end at 05:00 P.M., Harbiyat said.
The Yarmouk refugee camp has been subjected to continued blockade by the Syrian Army for 182 days in a row that caused dozens of refugees to starve to death for the lack of food and medical supplies.
The radios demanded, according to Harbiyat, for urgently opening a safe passage to aid and food supplies to the population in the camp, and to provide treatment to rescue some 300 wounded as a result of the Syrian Army’s continued shelling.
The show included receiving phone calls from West Bank and Gaza Strip citizens who expressed their solidarity with the Yarmouk refugees, in addition to contacting with a number of residents of the camp and Palestinian officials.
The broadcast began at 08:00 A.M and is scheduled to end at 05:00 P.M., Harbiyat said.
The Yarmouk refugee camp has been subjected to continued blockade by the Syrian Army for 182 days in a row that caused dozens of refugees to starve to death for the lack of food and medical supplies.
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Huge masses of Palestinian citizens in Gaza participated on Friday afternoon in the march which was called for by the Hamas Movement to protest the blockade imposed on Al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria. Following the Friday prayers, citizens from different areas of the northern Gaza Strip marched as they were chanting slogans and carrying banners calling for lifting the blockade on Al-Yarmouk refugee camp and ending the suffering of its residents.
The participants also demanded the international community to urgently move to save the Palestinian refugees in the camp and providing them with food and medical supplies. |
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In a speech during the rally, Palestinian lawmaker Mushir Al-Masri called on all parties to the conflict in Syria to assume their moral responsibilities towards the population of the camp who suffer from severe famine.
Masri also said that the besieged Palestinians in Gaza would not forsake their people in Al-Yarmouk camp despite the Israeli siege imposed on them. In this regard, the Hamas Movement has launched a fundraising campaign to help the besieged people of Al-Yarmouk camp. |
A Syrian monitoring group said Friday it has documented the deaths of 41 Palestinian refugees in besieged Yarmouk camp as a result of food and medical shortages, including women and children.
"Food and medical shortages have killed at least 41 people in the past three months in Yarmouk" in southern Damascus, which has been under suffocating army siege ever since rebel groups took control of it, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Of the total, 24 have died as a result of malnutrition. The rest died either because of a lack of specialized treatment or because of a shortage of medicines, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
According to the Britain-based group, which relies on a network of activists and doctors across Syria for its reports, three of the fatalities were children and 13 of them women.
"Among them was a one-day-old child who could have survived had there been incubators," said Abdel Rahman.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has frequently warned about the dire conditions in Yarmouk.
On Thursday, UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness described "extreme human suffering" in the camp, saying food shortages continued and that the absence of medical care had led to women dying in childbirth.
Yarmouk was once home to some 170,000 people but tens of thousands have fled fighting in the camp.
Syria is officially home to nearly 500,000 Palestinian refugees, around half of whom have been displaced by the conflict that broke out in March 2011, becoming refugees for a second time.
Syria's army has imposed tight sieges on several rebel towns and neighborhoods near Damascus and beyond.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
"Food and medical shortages have killed at least 41 people in the past three months in Yarmouk" in southern Damascus, which has been under suffocating army siege ever since rebel groups took control of it, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Of the total, 24 have died as a result of malnutrition. The rest died either because of a lack of specialized treatment or because of a shortage of medicines, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
According to the Britain-based group, which relies on a network of activists and doctors across Syria for its reports, three of the fatalities were children and 13 of them women.
"Among them was a one-day-old child who could have survived had there been incubators," said Abdel Rahman.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has frequently warned about the dire conditions in Yarmouk.
On Thursday, UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness described "extreme human suffering" in the camp, saying food shortages continued and that the absence of medical care had led to women dying in childbirth.
Yarmouk was once home to some 170,000 people but tens of thousands have fled fighting in the camp.
Syria is officially home to nearly 500,000 Palestinian refugees, around half of whom have been displaced by the conflict that broke out in March 2011, becoming refugees for a second time.
Syria's army has imposed tight sieges on several rebel towns and neighborhoods near Damascus and beyond.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
10 jan 2014
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Hundreds of Palestinian refugees in the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus face imminent death in the coming 10 days unless a safe supply line is opened, a Palestinian official told Ma'an Thursday.
Ayman Abu Hasham, director of the Palestinian Refugees Support Network in Syria, said that residents in the camp are eating grass in order to ward off starvation, which he says will kill hundreds if supply lines are not opened soon. On Thursday, there was an attempt to transfer 300 patients from the camp to receive medical treatment but snipers from the Syrian government fired at them, injuring the director of a relief committee Fuad al-Omar, Abu Hashem said. "Claims that there are militants in the camp are just to justify the siege," Abu Hashem said. "According to international law, citizens must be protected by the military force controlling the area -- meaning the Syrian regime." Any side which undermines initiatives to bring food into the camp are participating in the siege, Abu Hashem said, accusing the PFLP-GC and the Syrian government of blockading the refugee camp. UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told Ma'an Friday that "the profound civilian suffering in Yarmouk deepens, with reports of widespread malnutrition and the absence of medical care, including for those who have severe conflict-related injuries, and including for women in childbirth, with fatal consequences for some women." |
"From a humanitarian perspective, Yarmouk remains closed to humanitarian access and remains a place where extreme human suffering in primitively harsh conditions is the norm for Palestinian and Syrian civilians living there. The imperative remains that that Syrian authorities and other parties must allow and facilitate safe and open humanitarian access into Yarmouk to enable us to assist civilians trapped there."
Electricity and heating have been absent in the camp for nearly one year and there is an infrequent supply of water, Gunness added.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
Electricity and heating have been absent in the camp for nearly one year and there is an infrequent supply of water, Gunness added.
After rebels seized control of Yarmouk in December 2012, the camp became embroiled in the armed fighting taking place across Syria and came under heavy regime assault.
Regime forces eventually encircled the camp and in July imposed a siege on the camp, leading to a rapid deterioration of living conditions.
The Syrian conflict, which began as peaceful protests in March 2011 but developed into a civil war, has killed more than 130,000 people and prompted millions to flee their homes.
Palestinian children protest in solidarity with Yarmouk in Gaza
By Ramzy Baroud
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com.
His latest book is "My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story."
A worst case scenario is unfolding in Syria, and Palestinian refugees, particularly in the Yarmouk refugee camp, are paying a heavy price for Syria's cruelest war.
They are starving, although there can be no justification, nor logistical explanation for why they are dying from hunger.
Spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Chris Gunness, told AFP that "at least five Palestinian refugees in the besieged refugee camp of Yarmouk have died because of malnutrition, bringing the total number of reported cases to 15," since September 2013.
Other estimates, especially those reported by local residents, say the number is significantly higher.
The camp, which is located south of Damascus, had once housed nearly 250,000 Palestinians that included 150,000 officially registered refugees.
Three years of a brutal war later, Yarmouk is now nothing but ruins, and houses only around 18,000 residents who couldn't escape to Lebanon, Jordan or elsewhere.
Reporting for the BBC from Damascus, Lyse Doucet quoted aid officials: "Aid officials in Damascus recently told me 'the gates of Yarmouk were slammed shut in July' and almost no aid has been allowed to enter since then."
A minor Palestinian group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command, has tried to control Yarmouk on behalf of the Syrian government, an act that the refugees rejected. There has been a semi-consensus among Palestinians that they should not be embroiled in Syria's war.
However, the warring parties -- the Syrian government, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other Islamic groups -- desperately tried to use every card in their disposal to weaken the other parties. The result has been devastating and is taking place at the expense of innocent refugees.
Aside from the 1,500 reportedly killed Palestinians and thousands more wounded, the majority of the refugees are once again on the run, although in more perilous circumstances.
According to a statement by UNRWA on December 17, "of the 540,000 Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA in Syria, about 270,000 are displaced in the country, and an estimated 80,000 have fled. 51,000 have reached Lebanon, 11,000 have identified themselves in Jordan, 5,000 are in Egypt, and smaller numbers have reached Gaza, Turkey and farther afield."
Not that other Arab countries have proven kinder than Syria, for the UN agency reports that "those who have reached Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt face risky legal limbo compounded with living conditions so difficult that many decide to return to the dangers inside Syria."
Yarmouk has been at the heart of that tragedy. The refugee camp was established in 1957 to shelter thousands of refugees who were expelled from Palestine at the hand of Zionist militias in 1947-48.
Despite the fact that it was located in Syria, Yarmouk remained close to the pulse of the Palestinian tragedy, as hundreds of men were killed fighting against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
Although Palestinians in Syria were generally treated well, if compared to the very poor standards set by other Arab countries, thousands of men found themselves victims of occasional political purges of the Syrian government. An example of this followed the 1983 fallout between late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
But the latest disaster is the worst to strike the refugee camp. In December 2012, rebels of the FSA tried to gain control over the camp. Fierce fighting ensued, followed by aerial bombardment of Yarmouk by government airplanes on Dec. 16. Dozens were reportedly killed, and thousands fled for their lives.
Despite the obvious signs of danger surrounding Palestinian presence in Syria, only then did the Palestinian leadership attempt to negotiate a special status for Yarmouk so that the stateless Palestinians were kept out of a conflict that was not of their making.
Some Palestinian factions were used by other regional powers to declare political stances regarding the conflict in Syria. The refugees should have never been used as fodder for a dirty war and all attempts at sparing the refugees have failed.
The failure has been across the board. Typically, the so-called international community is at the forefront of this shameful episode.
"There's deep frustration in the aid community that a world which came together to deal with Syria's chemical weapons arsenal cannot do the same when it comes to tackling a deepening humanitarian crisis," reported Doucet, quoting an aid official: "I have never seen a humanitarian crisis on this scale which does not have a Security Council resolution."
The same could be said of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah which is chasing after another 'peace process' mirage that is surely doomed to fail. Why hasn't PA President Mahmoud Abbas put all of his frivolous talks and appointments on hold and lobby the international community to save Yarmouk?
The disgrace hardly ends here, for some in the Palestine solidarity movement had ceased to think of the Palestinian refugees' right of return as an issue that is at the heart of the Palestinian struggle for freedom. They only mobilize around the same issues which are located within the territorial and political parameters imposed by the Oslo accords.
According to that logic, Palestinians in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and so on, are hardly a top priority for action and mobilization, even if they are killed by the hundreds or starve to death.
By paying greater attention to Palestinian refugees in Syria, one is hardly calling for ignoring the horrible reality under which the Syrian people continue to suffer. But Palestinian refugees have no legal status, no political representation, no serious international support, no leadership truly concerned by their plight, no place to go to nor place to return to.
They have nothing, and now they are starving.
There can be no rationale to explain why the Syrian government and the rebels insist on embroiling the Palestinians into their war which is accumulating into an assortment of many war crimes that refuse to end.
The international community and Palestine solidarity groups everywhere must place Palestinian refugees on the top of their agenda. Food should never be a weapon in this dirty war, and Palestinians should never be starving to death, no matter the motive or the logic.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
By Ramzy Baroud
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com.
His latest book is "My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story."
A worst case scenario is unfolding in Syria, and Palestinian refugees, particularly in the Yarmouk refugee camp, are paying a heavy price for Syria's cruelest war.
They are starving, although there can be no justification, nor logistical explanation for why they are dying from hunger.
Spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Chris Gunness, told AFP that "at least five Palestinian refugees in the besieged refugee camp of Yarmouk have died because of malnutrition, bringing the total number of reported cases to 15," since September 2013.
Other estimates, especially those reported by local residents, say the number is significantly higher.
The camp, which is located south of Damascus, had once housed nearly 250,000 Palestinians that included 150,000 officially registered refugees.
Three years of a brutal war later, Yarmouk is now nothing but ruins, and houses only around 18,000 residents who couldn't escape to Lebanon, Jordan or elsewhere.
Reporting for the BBC from Damascus, Lyse Doucet quoted aid officials: "Aid officials in Damascus recently told me 'the gates of Yarmouk were slammed shut in July' and almost no aid has been allowed to enter since then."
A minor Palestinian group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- General Command, has tried to control Yarmouk on behalf of the Syrian government, an act that the refugees rejected. There has been a semi-consensus among Palestinians that they should not be embroiled in Syria's war.
However, the warring parties -- the Syrian government, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other Islamic groups -- desperately tried to use every card in their disposal to weaken the other parties. The result has been devastating and is taking place at the expense of innocent refugees.
Aside from the 1,500 reportedly killed Palestinians and thousands more wounded, the majority of the refugees are once again on the run, although in more perilous circumstances.
According to a statement by UNRWA on December 17, "of the 540,000 Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA in Syria, about 270,000 are displaced in the country, and an estimated 80,000 have fled. 51,000 have reached Lebanon, 11,000 have identified themselves in Jordan, 5,000 are in Egypt, and smaller numbers have reached Gaza, Turkey and farther afield."
Not that other Arab countries have proven kinder than Syria, for the UN agency reports that "those who have reached Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt face risky legal limbo compounded with living conditions so difficult that many decide to return to the dangers inside Syria."
Yarmouk has been at the heart of that tragedy. The refugee camp was established in 1957 to shelter thousands of refugees who were expelled from Palestine at the hand of Zionist militias in 1947-48.
Despite the fact that it was located in Syria, Yarmouk remained close to the pulse of the Palestinian tragedy, as hundreds of men were killed fighting against the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
Although Palestinians in Syria were generally treated well, if compared to the very poor standards set by other Arab countries, thousands of men found themselves victims of occasional political purges of the Syrian government. An example of this followed the 1983 fallout between late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
But the latest disaster is the worst to strike the refugee camp. In December 2012, rebels of the FSA tried to gain control over the camp. Fierce fighting ensued, followed by aerial bombardment of Yarmouk by government airplanes on Dec. 16. Dozens were reportedly killed, and thousands fled for their lives.
Despite the obvious signs of danger surrounding Palestinian presence in Syria, only then did the Palestinian leadership attempt to negotiate a special status for Yarmouk so that the stateless Palestinians were kept out of a conflict that was not of their making.
Some Palestinian factions were used by other regional powers to declare political stances regarding the conflict in Syria. The refugees should have never been used as fodder for a dirty war and all attempts at sparing the refugees have failed.
The failure has been across the board. Typically, the so-called international community is at the forefront of this shameful episode.
"There's deep frustration in the aid community that a world which came together to deal with Syria's chemical weapons arsenal cannot do the same when it comes to tackling a deepening humanitarian crisis," reported Doucet, quoting an aid official: "I have never seen a humanitarian crisis on this scale which does not have a Security Council resolution."
The same could be said of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah which is chasing after another 'peace process' mirage that is surely doomed to fail. Why hasn't PA President Mahmoud Abbas put all of his frivolous talks and appointments on hold and lobby the international community to save Yarmouk?
The disgrace hardly ends here, for some in the Palestine solidarity movement had ceased to think of the Palestinian refugees' right of return as an issue that is at the heart of the Palestinian struggle for freedom. They only mobilize around the same issues which are located within the territorial and political parameters imposed by the Oslo accords.
According to that logic, Palestinians in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and so on, are hardly a top priority for action and mobilization, even if they are killed by the hundreds or starve to death.
By paying greater attention to Palestinian refugees in Syria, one is hardly calling for ignoring the horrible reality under which the Syrian people continue to suffer. But Palestinian refugees have no legal status, no political representation, no serious international support, no leadership truly concerned by their plight, no place to go to nor place to return to.
They have nothing, and now they are starving.
There can be no rationale to explain why the Syrian government and the rebels insist on embroiling the Palestinians into their war which is accumulating into an assortment of many war crimes that refuse to end.
The international community and Palestine solidarity groups everywhere must place Palestinian refugees on the top of their agenda. Food should never be a weapon in this dirty war, and Palestinians should never be starving to death, no matter the motive or the logic.
The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect Ma'an News Agency's editorial policy.
