19 sept 2012
Palestinians killed in Damascus camp
Yarmouk is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria
At least 10 Palestinian refugees were killed Wednesday in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, activists posting to a Facebook account for the camp reported.
According to media from the camp, 15-year-old Jalal Yousif Salih was shot dead by a Syrian government sniper near the Palestine Hospital in the camp. Photos of the victim were published before he was identified.
Another victim identified as 10-year-old Fadi Alaa al-Masri was shot dead in the al-Zein neighborhood.
Earlier, a body was found in the Black Stone neighborhood. The victim was later identified as Muhammad Shaaban.
An elderly man was also shot dead in the Deir Yasin neighborhood, according to activists. They identified him as 70-year-old Ahmad Abbas.
Six other bodies were also found in Deir Yasin. Three of them were identified as Nafith Muhammad Abu Hassan, Husam Shihabi and Yasser Lahham.
Several bodies remained unidentified, according to activists, as forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad shelled Yarmouk, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria.
Rebels seize border crossing
Meanwhile rebels seized their third border crossing with Turkey, a Turkish official said, after fierce battles with government troops overnight that sent bullets flying into Syria's northern neighbor.
Television footage showed a rebel tearing down the Syrian flag on top of what appeared to be a customs building at the Tel Abyad frontier gate. Minutes earlier sporadic gunfire could be heard and black smoke rose from parts of the building.
"I can confirm that the gate has fallen. It is under the complete control of the rebels," a Turkish official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
There was no sign of any government troops at the crossing from television pictures broadcast live on CNN Turk.
At least 10 Palestinian refugees were killed Wednesday in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, activists posting to a Facebook account for the camp reported.
According to media from the camp, 15-year-old Jalal Yousif Salih was shot dead by a Syrian government sniper near the Palestine Hospital in the camp. Photos of the victim were published before he was identified.
Another victim identified as 10-year-old Fadi Alaa al-Masri was shot dead in the al-Zein neighborhood.
Earlier, a body was found in the Black Stone neighborhood. The victim was later identified as Muhammad Shaaban.
An elderly man was also shot dead in the Deir Yasin neighborhood, according to activists. They identified him as 70-year-old Ahmad Abbas.
Six other bodies were also found in Deir Yasin. Three of them were identified as Nafith Muhammad Abu Hassan, Husam Shihabi and Yasser Lahham.
Several bodies remained unidentified, according to activists, as forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad shelled Yarmouk, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria.
Rebels seize border crossing
Meanwhile rebels seized their third border crossing with Turkey, a Turkish official said, after fierce battles with government troops overnight that sent bullets flying into Syria's northern neighbor.
Television footage showed a rebel tearing down the Syrian flag on top of what appeared to be a customs building at the Tel Abyad frontier gate. Minutes earlier sporadic gunfire could be heard and black smoke rose from parts of the building.
"I can confirm that the gate has fallen. It is under the complete control of the rebels," a Turkish official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
There was no sign of any government troops at the crossing from television pictures broadcast live on CNN Turk.
Syria accuses West of nuclear double standards over Israel
By Fredrik Dahl
Syria, itself suspected of illicit nuclear activity, accused the West at a major UN meeting on Wednesday of double standards in implicitly condoning an Israeli atomic arsenal and warned of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
The United States said last week Damascus was using the "brutal repression" of its people waging an uprising as an excuse not to address international concerns about its past nuclear work.
UN inspectors have long sought access to a site in Syria's desert Deir al-Zor region that US intelligence reports say was a nascent, North Korean-designed reactor designed to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons before Israel bombed it in 2007.
The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has also been requesting information about three other sites that may have been linked to Deir al-Zor, which Syria says was a conventional military site.
Syrian Ambassador Bassam al-Sabbagh, in a rare public comment on the issue, insisted that his country was ready to cooperate with the UN agency and he sought to turn the tables on Damascus' accusers by hitting out at Israel.
Israel is believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, although it refuses to disclose any capability. Like its ally the United States, Israel insists Iran's nuclear program is the most urgent nuclear proliferation threat.
Clearly referring to Washington and its allies, al-Sabbagh told the IAEA's 155-nation annual assembly in Vienna:
"The fact that some influential states ... condone Israel's possession of nuclear capabilities and its failure to subject them to any international control exposes clearly the extent of double standards used by those states."
'Delicate situation'
He added that this "poses a threat to the region's security and stability and may even spark a nuclear arms race there."
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, denying Western suspicions that it wants to develop an atom bomb capability. Syria also denies any such ambitions.
Al-Sabbagh said all Arab states had acceded to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while Israel was still outside the 1970 pact set up to prevent the spread of atomic weaponry.
"This is the main and only obstacle to the creation of a nuclear weapons free zone in Middle East," he told the IAEA's General Conference, where many speakers had previously accused Syria of stonewalling the stalled IAEA inquiry into its work.
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said this year that Syria had asked for understanding of its "delicate situation" in response to requests for Syrian cooperation with his inspectors.
President Bashar Assad is fighting a 18-month-old revolt in which more than 27,000 people have been killed.
Israel has said it would sign the NPT and renounce nuclear weapons only as part of a broader Middle East peace deal with Arab states and Iran that guaranteed its security.
Syria, itself suspected of illicit nuclear activity, accused the West at a major UN meeting on Wednesday of double standards in implicitly condoning an Israeli atomic arsenal and warned of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
The United States said last week Damascus was using the "brutal repression" of its people waging an uprising as an excuse not to address international concerns about its past nuclear work.
UN inspectors have long sought access to a site in Syria's desert Deir al-Zor region that US intelligence reports say was a nascent, North Korean-designed reactor designed to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons before Israel bombed it in 2007.
The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has also been requesting information about three other sites that may have been linked to Deir al-Zor, which Syria says was a conventional military site.
Syrian Ambassador Bassam al-Sabbagh, in a rare public comment on the issue, insisted that his country was ready to cooperate with the UN agency and he sought to turn the tables on Damascus' accusers by hitting out at Israel.
Israel is believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, although it refuses to disclose any capability. Like its ally the United States, Israel insists Iran's nuclear program is the most urgent nuclear proliferation threat.
Clearly referring to Washington and its allies, al-Sabbagh told the IAEA's 155-nation annual assembly in Vienna:
"The fact that some influential states ... condone Israel's possession of nuclear capabilities and its failure to subject them to any international control exposes clearly the extent of double standards used by those states."
'Delicate situation'
He added that this "poses a threat to the region's security and stability and may even spark a nuclear arms race there."
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, denying Western suspicions that it wants to develop an atom bomb capability. Syria also denies any such ambitions.
Al-Sabbagh said all Arab states had acceded to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while Israel was still outside the 1970 pact set up to prevent the spread of atomic weaponry.
"This is the main and only obstacle to the creation of a nuclear weapons free zone in Middle East," he told the IAEA's General Conference, where many speakers had previously accused Syria of stonewalling the stalled IAEA inquiry into its work.
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said this year that Syria had asked for understanding of its "delicate situation" in response to requests for Syrian cooperation with his inspectors.
President Bashar Assad is fighting a 18-month-old revolt in which more than 27,000 people have been killed.
Israel has said it would sign the NPT and renounce nuclear weapons only as part of a broader Middle East peace deal with Arab states and Iran that guaranteed its security.
18 sept 2012
Syria: Eight Palestinians Killed in al-Yarmouk Refugee Camp
13 civilians were killed in artillery shelling targeted al-Yarmouk refugee camp and the surrounding areas.
Sources from inside the camp said, eight Palestinian refugees were found executed inside the camp.
Al-Sham news network published that the Syrian Arab Army forces continued its artillery shelling at al-Yarmouk neighborhoods, al-Hajar al-Aswad and al-Esali areas, south of Syria, causing several casualties and material damages.
Sources from inside the camp said, eight Palestinian refugees were found executed inside the camp.
Al-Sham news network published that the Syrian Arab Army forces continued its artillery shelling at al-Yarmouk neighborhoods, al-Hajar al-Aswad and al-Esali areas, south of Syria, causing several casualties and material damages.
17 sept 2012
Hamas's refugees department calls for protecting Palestinian refugees in Syria
Hamas's refugee affairs department issued on Sunday a press release about "the ongoing killings and intimidation of Palestinian refugees inside the refugee camps in Syria through targeting the camps with bombings and destructions."
According to the statement, Hamas's Department of Refugee Affairs has followed with great concern the events in Syria and suffering of both the Syrian people and the Palestinian refugees in Syria, which has forced thousands of Palestinians to leave Syria to save their lives, causing severe repercussions and the killing of nearly four hundred Palestinians, most of them died during the sinking of a boat.
The department also said in its statement that the Palestinian refugees in Syria are guests of the Syrian people and demanded the Syrian authorities to provide protection to the refugee camps, and to protect every Palestinian who wishes to leave Syria towards any direction.
It called on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to provide international protection to the Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, and provide them with all needs.
The statement called on the Jordanian and the Lebanese authorities to accept the Palestinian refugees coming from Syria, stressing that the Palestinian refugees will not accept a substitute for returning to Palestine, and that they will leave Jordan and Lebanon once becoming able to return to their homeland in Palestine, or to their refugee camps in Syria.
Hamdan: Attempts to embroil Syria's Palestinians in its current crisis
Osama Hamdan, head of Hamas's international relations department, said that there are attempts "to embroil" Syria's Palestinians in its current crisis, despite a general consensus between the various Palestinian factions that what is happening in Syria is "an internal Syrian crisis".
Hamdan condemned, in a statement published on Sunday, the attacks on Palestinians in Syria especially in the Yarmouk refugee camp causing a number of deaths and wounded.
Hamas has condemned this act, and it will always condemn any such attack by any party, he added.
Hamdan stressed that Hamas was and is still keen not to let Palestinians to be embroiled in the Syrian crisis, insisting that Palestinians do not want under any justification to be part of it.
He stressed that the Palestinians in Syria were never behind any tension or division between the different parts of the Syrian people. The Palestinians were always welcomed by both the Syrian regime and the Syrian people, he added, noting that this situation will not change after the end of the crisis.
According to the statement, Hamas's Department of Refugee Affairs has followed with great concern the events in Syria and suffering of both the Syrian people and the Palestinian refugees in Syria, which has forced thousands of Palestinians to leave Syria to save their lives, causing severe repercussions and the killing of nearly four hundred Palestinians, most of them died during the sinking of a boat.
The department also said in its statement that the Palestinian refugees in Syria are guests of the Syrian people and demanded the Syrian authorities to provide protection to the refugee camps, and to protect every Palestinian who wishes to leave Syria towards any direction.
It called on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to provide international protection to the Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, and provide them with all needs.
The statement called on the Jordanian and the Lebanese authorities to accept the Palestinian refugees coming from Syria, stressing that the Palestinian refugees will not accept a substitute for returning to Palestine, and that they will leave Jordan and Lebanon once becoming able to return to their homeland in Palestine, or to their refugee camps in Syria.
Hamdan: Attempts to embroil Syria's Palestinians in its current crisis
Osama Hamdan, head of Hamas's international relations department, said that there are attempts "to embroil" Syria's Palestinians in its current crisis, despite a general consensus between the various Palestinian factions that what is happening in Syria is "an internal Syrian crisis".
Hamdan condemned, in a statement published on Sunday, the attacks on Palestinians in Syria especially in the Yarmouk refugee camp causing a number of deaths and wounded.
Hamas has condemned this act, and it will always condemn any such attack by any party, he added.
Hamdan stressed that Hamas was and is still keen not to let Palestinians to be embroiled in the Syrian crisis, insisting that Palestinians do not want under any justification to be part of it.
He stressed that the Palestinians in Syria were never behind any tension or division between the different parts of the Syrian people. The Palestinians were always welcomed by both the Syrian regime and the Syrian people, he added, noting that this situation will not change after the end of the crisis.
9 sept 2012
Syrian troops storm Palestinian camp in Damascus
By Oliver Holmes
Syrian troops stormed into a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, opposition activists said, after a four-day artillery assault on the southern suburb where rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad have dug in.
Assad's forces have preferred to use air power and artillery to hit areas where rebels are positioned and infantry raids normally occur only once many have fled. Activists said they feared for civilian inhabitants in the latest offensive.
Syrian activist Abu Yasser al-Shami said that his friends living in Yarmouk, a densely populated Palestinian refugee camp where 10 people were killed on Friday in shelling, had fled the area on Saturday morning after government troops swept in.
"Assad's forces stormed al-Basel hospital in Yarmouk Camp and arrested many of the injured civilians," he said over Skype.
When insurgents thrust into central parts of the capital in July, they were swiftly pushed back to southern districts, like Yarmouk, where there is a thinner state security presence.
But residents complain that the army uses indiscriminate artillery and air strikes. Palestinians have been divided over whether or not to support Assad, but there are signs that more and more are now starting to back the uprising.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition watchdog based in London, said shells rained down on Hajar al-Aswad district, which neighbors Yarmouk, on Saturday.
It said 170 people were killed in bloodshed on Friday across the country, many of them in Damascus and northern Aleppo, where rebels say they control more than half of what is Syria's most populous city and commercial center.
The Observatory says more than 23,000 people have died in an uprising that has lasted more than 17 months. Around 200,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.
The conflict is spilling over Syrian borders and has raised sectarian tension in the region given that the revolt has been led by majority Sunni Muslims against a president who is Alawite, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Assad's use of military force to quell the uprising has cost him many allies in the Arab and Muslim world and caused a trickle of defections from Syrian government and army ranks.
Two Syrian diplomats in Malaysia announced late on Friday that they had joined the opposition, according to a report by pan-Arab television channel Al Arabiya.
Two men identifying themselves as First Secretary Imad Ahmar and Attaché Mahmoud Obedi from Syria's Kuala Lumpur embassy read out a statement on the channel declaring their "support for the Syrian people's revolution against the tyrannical regime."
But the defections so far are seen largely as symbolic and Assad has increasingly relied on a close circle of relatives and senior members of his minority Alawite sect dominating the ruling elite to maintain his grip on power.
Syrian troops stormed into a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, opposition activists said, after a four-day artillery assault on the southern suburb where rebels fighting to oust President Bashar Assad have dug in.
Assad's forces have preferred to use air power and artillery to hit areas where rebels are positioned and infantry raids normally occur only once many have fled. Activists said they feared for civilian inhabitants in the latest offensive.
Syrian activist Abu Yasser al-Shami said that his friends living in Yarmouk, a densely populated Palestinian refugee camp where 10 people were killed on Friday in shelling, had fled the area on Saturday morning after government troops swept in.
"Assad's forces stormed al-Basel hospital in Yarmouk Camp and arrested many of the injured civilians," he said over Skype.
When insurgents thrust into central parts of the capital in July, they were swiftly pushed back to southern districts, like Yarmouk, where there is a thinner state security presence.
But residents complain that the army uses indiscriminate artillery and air strikes. Palestinians have been divided over whether or not to support Assad, but there are signs that more and more are now starting to back the uprising.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition watchdog based in London, said shells rained down on Hajar al-Aswad district, which neighbors Yarmouk, on Saturday.
It said 170 people were killed in bloodshed on Friday across the country, many of them in Damascus and northern Aleppo, where rebels say they control more than half of what is Syria's most populous city and commercial center.
The Observatory says more than 23,000 people have died in an uprising that has lasted more than 17 months. Around 200,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.
The conflict is spilling over Syrian borders and has raised sectarian tension in the region given that the revolt has been led by majority Sunni Muslims against a president who is Alawite, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Assad's use of military force to quell the uprising has cost him many allies in the Arab and Muslim world and caused a trickle of defections from Syrian government and army ranks.
Two Syrian diplomats in Malaysia announced late on Friday that they had joined the opposition, according to a report by pan-Arab television channel Al Arabiya.
Two men identifying themselves as First Secretary Imad Ahmar and Attaché Mahmoud Obedi from Syria's Kuala Lumpur embassy read out a statement on the channel declaring their "support for the Syrian people's revolution against the tyrannical regime."
But the defections so far are seen largely as symbolic and Assad has increasingly relied on a close circle of relatives and senior members of his minority Alawite sect dominating the ruling elite to maintain his grip on power.
8 sept 2012
Residents: 3 Palestinians killed in Syria camp
Syrian refugees are seen in the Bab al-Salam refugee camp in Azaz, near the Syrian-Turkish border on Sept. 6
Shelling killed three Palestinians in Syria's largest refugee camp Friday, a day after an employee of the UN agency for Palestine refugees died along with his son.
Residents of the Yarmouk camp said the three Palestinians died after one shell landed on al-Jaouna Street and another landed behind the Palestine Mosque.
The attack came a day after an employee of UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, and his son were killed when their home, also on al-Jaouna street, was shelled. The maintenance technician and his son, a medical student, were both Palestinian refugees.
"The tragic deaths occurred when the staff member's home took a direct hit reportedly from shells," the UN Relief and Works Agency said in a statement. "This is a sad reminder of the personal risks being taken and the sacrifices being made by UNRWA staff and other humanitarian personnel in Syria."
Residents of the camp had promised to demonstrate after Friday prayers at a local mosque in protest of Thursday's attack by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.
At least nine Palestinian refugees were among 20 people killed Thursday in a Syrian army mortar and artillery bombardment in southern Damascus, residents and local emergency workers said.
Yarmouk camp and the districts surrounding it have seen the most prolonged fighting in the capital since a counter-offensive to push rebels out of the city two months ago.
Residents in the camp said that for the last two weeks Yarmouk had been closed off from neighboring districts and that they had heard regular clashes.
Since early on Thursday they reported heavy bombardment in the area.
Residents of Yarmouk, home to over 150,000 Palestinian refugees, have been affected by intense armed conflict in adjacent residential areas since late August, UNRWA said Friday.
Residents said that for the last two weeks Yarmouk had been closed off from neighboring districts and that they had heard regular clashes.
They said the army may have intensified its attack on the district in the belief that rebels, who have been sheltering in the nearby neighborhoods of Tadamon and Hajar al-Aswad, were slipping into Yarmouk, whose Palestinian residents are suspected by authorities of siding with the rebels.
"In addition to loss of life and injuries among Syrians and Palestine refugees, these developments have resulted in the significant damage to homes and property," UNRWA said.
"UNRWA has informed the Syrian authorities of developments and will reiterate its calls to the authorities to afford protection from the effects of armed conflict for refugees and other civilians across Syria."
Some 225,000 Palestinian refugees have been directly affected by the 18-month-old uprising against Assad.
The UN says nearly 20,000 people have been killed during the conflict that began as peaceful pro-democracy protests and grew into a civil war under a brutal crackdown by regime forces.
Shelling killed three Palestinians in Syria's largest refugee camp Friday, a day after an employee of the UN agency for Palestine refugees died along with his son.
Residents of the Yarmouk camp said the three Palestinians died after one shell landed on al-Jaouna Street and another landed behind the Palestine Mosque.
The attack came a day after an employee of UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, and his son were killed when their home, also on al-Jaouna street, was shelled. The maintenance technician and his son, a medical student, were both Palestinian refugees.
"The tragic deaths occurred when the staff member's home took a direct hit reportedly from shells," the UN Relief and Works Agency said in a statement. "This is a sad reminder of the personal risks being taken and the sacrifices being made by UNRWA staff and other humanitarian personnel in Syria."
Residents of the camp had promised to demonstrate after Friday prayers at a local mosque in protest of Thursday's attack by forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.
At least nine Palestinian refugees were among 20 people killed Thursday in a Syrian army mortar and artillery bombardment in southern Damascus, residents and local emergency workers said.
Yarmouk camp and the districts surrounding it have seen the most prolonged fighting in the capital since a counter-offensive to push rebels out of the city two months ago.
Residents in the camp said that for the last two weeks Yarmouk had been closed off from neighboring districts and that they had heard regular clashes.
Since early on Thursday they reported heavy bombardment in the area.
Residents of Yarmouk, home to over 150,000 Palestinian refugees, have been affected by intense armed conflict in adjacent residential areas since late August, UNRWA said Friday.
Residents said that for the last two weeks Yarmouk had been closed off from neighboring districts and that they had heard regular clashes.
They said the army may have intensified its attack on the district in the belief that rebels, who have been sheltering in the nearby neighborhoods of Tadamon and Hajar al-Aswad, were slipping into Yarmouk, whose Palestinian residents are suspected by authorities of siding with the rebels.
"In addition to loss of life and injuries among Syrians and Palestine refugees, these developments have resulted in the significant damage to homes and property," UNRWA said.
"UNRWA has informed the Syrian authorities of developments and will reiterate its calls to the authorities to afford protection from the effects of armed conflict for refugees and other civilians across Syria."
Some 225,000 Palestinian refugees have been directly affected by the 18-month-old uprising against Assad.
The UN says nearly 20,000 people have been killed during the conflict that began as peaceful pro-democracy protests and grew into a civil war under a brutal crackdown by regime forces.
7 sept 2012
UNRWA employee, son killed in Damascus
An employee of the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees and his son were killed on Thursday as Syrian forces shelled the country's largest Palestinian refugee camp.
The maintenance technician and his son, a medical student, were both Palestinian refugees. They were killed in their home in Yarmouk refugee camp.
"The tragic deaths occurred when the staff member's home took a direct hit reportedly from shells," the UN Relief and Works Agency said in a statement. "This is a sad reminder of the personal risks being taken and the sacrifices being made by UNRWA staff and other humanitarian personnel in Syria."
Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad killed at least 9 Palestinian refugees, among 20 casualties in Yarmouk and the surrounding areas in south Damascus on Thursday, local sources and residents said.
On Wednesday evening, three young Palestinian refugees were killed reportedly when their homes were shelled, UNRWA said.
Yarmouk camp and the districts surrounding it have seen the most prolonged fighting in the capital since Assad's forces launched a counter-offensive to push rebels out of the city two months ago.
Residents of the camp, home to over 150,000 Palestinian refugees, have been affected by intense armed conflict in adjacent residential areas since late August, the UN agency added.
Residents said that for the last two weeks Yarmouk had been closed off from neighboring districts and that they had heard regular clashes.
They said the army may have intensified its attack on the district in the belief that rebels, who have been sheltering in the nearby neighborhoods of Tadamon and Hajar al-Aswad, were slipping into Yarmouk, whose Palestinian residents are suspected by authorities of siding with the rebels.
"In addition to loss of life and injuries among Syrians and Palestine refugees, these developments have resulted in the significant damage to homes and property," UNRWA said.
"UNRWA has informed the Syrian authorities of developments and will reiterate its calls to the authorities to afford protection from the effects of armed conflict for refugees and other civilians across Syria."
Some 225,000 Palestinian refugees have been directly affected by the 18-month-old uprising against Assad.
The UN says nearly 20,000 people have been killed during the conflict that began as peaceful pro-democracy protests and grew into a civil war under a brutal crackdown by regime forces.
The maintenance technician and his son, a medical student, were both Palestinian refugees. They were killed in their home in Yarmouk refugee camp.
"The tragic deaths occurred when the staff member's home took a direct hit reportedly from shells," the UN Relief and Works Agency said in a statement. "This is a sad reminder of the personal risks being taken and the sacrifices being made by UNRWA staff and other humanitarian personnel in Syria."
Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad killed at least 9 Palestinian refugees, among 20 casualties in Yarmouk and the surrounding areas in south Damascus on Thursday, local sources and residents said.
On Wednesday evening, three young Palestinian refugees were killed reportedly when their homes were shelled, UNRWA said.
Yarmouk camp and the districts surrounding it have seen the most prolonged fighting in the capital since Assad's forces launched a counter-offensive to push rebels out of the city two months ago.
Residents of the camp, home to over 150,000 Palestinian refugees, have been affected by intense armed conflict in adjacent residential areas since late August, the UN agency added.
Residents said that for the last two weeks Yarmouk had been closed off from neighboring districts and that they had heard regular clashes.
They said the army may have intensified its attack on the district in the belief that rebels, who have been sheltering in the nearby neighborhoods of Tadamon and Hajar al-Aswad, were slipping into Yarmouk, whose Palestinian residents are suspected by authorities of siding with the rebels.
"In addition to loss of life and injuries among Syrians and Palestine refugees, these developments have resulted in the significant damage to homes and property," UNRWA said.
"UNRWA has informed the Syrian authorities of developments and will reiterate its calls to the authorities to afford protection from the effects of armed conflict for refugees and other civilians across Syria."
Some 225,000 Palestinian refugees have been directly affected by the 18-month-old uprising against Assad.
The UN says nearly 20,000 people have been killed during the conflict that began as peaceful pro-democracy protests and grew into a civil war under a brutal crackdown by regime forces.
5 Palestinians killed in al-Yarmouk refugee camp
Five Palestinians were reported killed and at least 20 others injured on Thursday, in Yarmouk Palestinian refugees camp located in Damascus town after the camp was bombarded.
The sources pointed out, according to Yarmouk camp News page on Facebook, that a barrage of mortar shells hit various regions in the Yarmouk refugee camp, as al-Magarba Street and the regions close to the Palestine Mosque.
The victims were identified as Ahmed Maher Khatib, Maher al-Khatib, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahli, Anas Abdullah, Saeed al-Sahli.
The areas and neighborhoods of the camp have been frequently exposed to shelling, because of its closeness to areas where fierce battles take place between the Syrian Regular Army and the Free Syrian Army.
UNRWA Condemns Yarmouk Refugee Camp Shelling
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Syria said that an employee and his son were killed Thursday afternoon, 6th September; in a mortar shell fired at their house in al-Yarmouk refugee camp.
UNRWA said in a press release, that an employee and his son, a student in the Faculty of Medicine, were killed in their house in Yarmouk, a densely populated residential area located on the outskirts of the capital Damascus and has a population of more than 150,000 Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA also said that in separate incidents occurred in 5th September, three other Palestinian refugees were also killed in a shell fired at their house in the camp.
UNRWA notified Syrian political authorities to these escalations and reaffirmed that there is a need to provide protection to the Palestinian refugees and other civilians who live on the Syrian territories.
UNRWA condemned the Syrian authorities for the casualties, stressing that these humanitarian consequences could have been avoided. UNRWA expressed deep concern about the impact of the escalated conflict in Syria on the Palestinian refugees and the real risks resulted from it.
UNRWA also confirmed that all the political parties must refrain from contesting the conflict in populated residential areas and must commit to the international law.
The sources pointed out, according to Yarmouk camp News page on Facebook, that a barrage of mortar shells hit various regions in the Yarmouk refugee camp, as al-Magarba Street and the regions close to the Palestine Mosque.
The victims were identified as Ahmed Maher Khatib, Maher al-Khatib, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahli, Anas Abdullah, Saeed al-Sahli.
The areas and neighborhoods of the camp have been frequently exposed to shelling, because of its closeness to areas where fierce battles take place between the Syrian Regular Army and the Free Syrian Army.
UNRWA Condemns Yarmouk Refugee Camp Shelling
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Syria said that an employee and his son were killed Thursday afternoon, 6th September; in a mortar shell fired at their house in al-Yarmouk refugee camp.
UNRWA said in a press release, that an employee and his son, a student in the Faculty of Medicine, were killed in their house in Yarmouk, a densely populated residential area located on the outskirts of the capital Damascus and has a population of more than 150,000 Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA also said that in separate incidents occurred in 5th September, three other Palestinian refugees were also killed in a shell fired at their house in the camp.
UNRWA notified Syrian political authorities to these escalations and reaffirmed that there is a need to provide protection to the Palestinian refugees and other civilians who live on the Syrian territories.
UNRWA condemned the Syrian authorities for the casualties, stressing that these humanitarian consequences could have been avoided. UNRWA expressed deep concern about the impact of the escalated conflict in Syria on the Palestinian refugees and the real risks resulted from it.
UNRWA also confirmed that all the political parties must refrain from contesting the conflict in populated residential areas and must commit to the international law.
6 sept 2012
Residents: 7 Palestinians killed in Syrian army shelling
Seven Palestinians were killed on Thursday as the Syrian army bombed the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, sources in the camp said.
Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad bombed Safad and al-Jaouna areas and the al-Basel Hospital, local Yarmouk media reported, adding that residents of the camp would protest the shelling outside the al-Waseem Mosque after evening prayers.
At least 20 people were killed in Syrian army mortar and artillery bombardment in southern Damascus, residents and local emergency workers said.
Yarmouk camp and the districts surrounding it have seen the most prolonged fighting in the capital since forces loyal to Assad launched a counter-offensive to push rebels out of the city two months ago.
Residents in the camp said that for the last two weeks Yarmouk had been closed off from neighboring districts and that they had heard regular clashes. Since early on Thursday they reported heavy bombardment in the area.
They said the army may have intensified its attack on the district in the belief that rebels, who have been sheltering in the nearby neighborhoods of Tadamon and Hajar al-Aswad, were slipping into Yarmouk, whose Palestinian residents are suspected by authorities of siding with the rebels.
Assad's forces are trying to re-establish full control in Damascus as well as fighting rebels in the northern city of Aleppo. Persistent air strikes and bombardment of rebel-held areas in northern and southern provinces in the country, have prompted waves of refugees to flee to Turkey and Jordan.
In the southern province of Deraa, rebels said 45 army tanks were sent to the border town of Tel Shehab, an anti-Assad stronghold which has served as a transit point for refugees crossing into Jordan.
They said rebels withdrew from the town before the army offensive started. "No shots were fired. There were no clashes," rebel fighter Abu Younis said. Four civilians were killed, a relatively light toll, he said.
"They have burnt homes of several activists but they are only entering homes of known activists and families harboring the rebels. Over forty people have been arrested," he said.
Another rebel fighter, who called himself Abu Omar, said the army offensive had been brief.
"The security forces have retreated from the center of the town but are on its fringe right now and there is a column of tanks on the highway leading to the town," he said.
Palestinian Killed In Yarmouk Refugee Camp In Syria
Facebook activists, and the Al-Yarmouk News, in Syria reported that a Palestinian refugee in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp was killed, on Wednesday evening, after the camp was bombarded.
The Al-Yarmouk News reported that Ala’ Farouq was killed by shells that targeted Al-Maliki Street, and added that several families, taking shelter at a high school in the area, had to leave due to armed clashes that took place nearby. Shells were also fired at building in Al-Quds Street.
It is worth mentioning that fierce clashes took place near the high school before the shells were fired into the area.
Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad bombed Safad and al-Jaouna areas and the al-Basel Hospital, local Yarmouk media reported, adding that residents of the camp would protest the shelling outside the al-Waseem Mosque after evening prayers.
At least 20 people were killed in Syrian army mortar and artillery bombardment in southern Damascus, residents and local emergency workers said.
Yarmouk camp and the districts surrounding it have seen the most prolonged fighting in the capital since forces loyal to Assad launched a counter-offensive to push rebels out of the city two months ago.
Residents in the camp said that for the last two weeks Yarmouk had been closed off from neighboring districts and that they had heard regular clashes. Since early on Thursday they reported heavy bombardment in the area.
They said the army may have intensified its attack on the district in the belief that rebels, who have been sheltering in the nearby neighborhoods of Tadamon and Hajar al-Aswad, were slipping into Yarmouk, whose Palestinian residents are suspected by authorities of siding with the rebels.
Assad's forces are trying to re-establish full control in Damascus as well as fighting rebels in the northern city of Aleppo. Persistent air strikes and bombardment of rebel-held areas in northern and southern provinces in the country, have prompted waves of refugees to flee to Turkey and Jordan.
In the southern province of Deraa, rebels said 45 army tanks were sent to the border town of Tel Shehab, an anti-Assad stronghold which has served as a transit point for refugees crossing into Jordan.
They said rebels withdrew from the town before the army offensive started. "No shots were fired. There were no clashes," rebel fighter Abu Younis said. Four civilians were killed, a relatively light toll, he said.
"They have burnt homes of several activists but they are only entering homes of known activists and families harboring the rebels. Over forty people have been arrested," he said.
Another rebel fighter, who called himself Abu Omar, said the army offensive had been brief.
"The security forces have retreated from the center of the town but are on its fringe right now and there is a column of tanks on the highway leading to the town," he said.
Palestinian Killed In Yarmouk Refugee Camp In Syria
Facebook activists, and the Al-Yarmouk News, in Syria reported that a Palestinian refugee in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp was killed, on Wednesday evening, after the camp was bombarded.
The Al-Yarmouk News reported that Ala’ Farouq was killed by shells that targeted Al-Maliki Street, and added that several families, taking shelter at a high school in the area, had to leave due to armed clashes that took place nearby. Shells were also fired at building in Al-Quds Street.
It is worth mentioning that fierce clashes took place near the high school before the shells were fired into the area.
3 sept 2012
Witnesses: Palestinian camp in Syria shelled, killing 2
Around 400 Palestinians have been killed in Syria so far, a Palestinian official said in early August.
Two Palestinian refugees were reported killed and a third seriously injured in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria on Monday morning, according to witness accounts.
Palestinians in the camp said a barrage of shells hit a home in the al-Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood of al-Yarmouk, in Damascus.
The casualties were identified as Fadi al-Thahir and his wife Rawaa Muhammad Saadi, refugees who originally come from Tiberias. The couple’s four-year-old son was also seriously injured, according to al-Yarmouk News, a Facebook page reporting on events in the camp.
Last Wednesday, a 51-year-old Palestinian man was killed by a shell in the same camp, the largest in Syria.
Around 400 Palestinians have been killed in Syria so far, mostly by snipers, Palestinian official Mohammad Shtayyeh said in early August.
Syria is home to nearly 500,000 UN-registered Palestinian refugees. An additional 120,000 Palestinians reside in Syrian cities.
Two Palestinian refugees were reported killed and a third seriously injured in Al-Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria on Monday morning, according to witness accounts.
Palestinians in the camp said a barrage of shells hit a home in the al-Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood of al-Yarmouk, in Damascus.
The casualties were identified as Fadi al-Thahir and his wife Rawaa Muhammad Saadi, refugees who originally come from Tiberias. The couple’s four-year-old son was also seriously injured, according to al-Yarmouk News, a Facebook page reporting on events in the camp.
Last Wednesday, a 51-year-old Palestinian man was killed by a shell in the same camp, the largest in Syria.
Around 400 Palestinians have been killed in Syria so far, mostly by snipers, Palestinian official Mohammad Shtayyeh said in early August.
Syria is home to nearly 500,000 UN-registered Palestinian refugees. An additional 120,000 Palestinians reside in Syrian cities.
2 sept 2012
Second Palestinian aid convoy heads to Syria
The second batch of Palestinian humanitarian aid to Syria left via Jordan on Sunday, official media reported.
While Palestinian politicians have shunned comment on the conflict in Syria to avoid endangering Palestinian refugees living there, they launched the relief effort in June amid wide public sympathy.
The first aid convoy arrived in refugee camps in Damascus in early August, carrying medicine, wheat and food staples.
The national relief committee for Syria and President Mahmoud Abbas attended the departure of the second convoy from the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, PA news agency Wafa reported.
Abbas applauded Palestinians' support of the relief effort, saying it showed solidarity amongst Palestinians around the world was strong.
While Palestinian politicians have shunned comment on the conflict in Syria to avoid endangering Palestinian refugees living there, they launched the relief effort in June amid wide public sympathy.
The first aid convoy arrived in refugee camps in Damascus in early August, carrying medicine, wheat and food staples.
The national relief committee for Syria and President Mahmoud Abbas attended the departure of the second convoy from the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, PA news agency Wafa reported.
Abbas applauded Palestinians' support of the relief effort, saying it showed solidarity amongst Palestinians around the world was strong.
1 sept 2012
Baraka: Palestinians not involved in Syrian crisis
The representative of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" in Lebanon Ali Baraka confirmed that the Palestinians "will only be a calming factor in Lebanon, and they are keen to prevent any tension in the (refugee) camps."
There is Palestinian consensus in Lebanon on "the need to maintain security and stability in the Palestinian refugee camps," Baraka added during a meeting with Lebanese MP Bahia Hariri in Majdelyoun on Friday, stressing at the same time that Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon are not involved in the Syrian crisis or in its effects on the Lebanese arena.
Regarding the meeting held in the Palestinian embassy between the factions and the coalition concerning the conditions of the Palestinian families displaced from Syrian, Baraka said that the Palestinian factions have agreed on Thursday to form a monitoring committee in cooperation with UNRWA to oversee those refugees’ conditions.
There is Palestinian consensus in Lebanon on "the need to maintain security and stability in the Palestinian refugee camps," Baraka added during a meeting with Lebanese MP Bahia Hariri in Majdelyoun on Friday, stressing at the same time that Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon are not involved in the Syrian crisis or in its effects on the Lebanese arena.
Regarding the meeting held in the Palestinian embassy between the factions and the coalition concerning the conditions of the Palestinian families displaced from Syrian, Baraka said that the Palestinian factions have agreed on Thursday to form a monitoring committee in cooperation with UNRWA to oversee those refugees’ conditions.
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