The suffering of Palestinians living in Syria’s Yarmouk camp has reached unprecedented levels and must be alleviated immediately
Since mid-2013, the northern areas of the camp have been living under a suffocating blockade imposed by Syrian government forces, supplemented by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command. This untenable situation was exacerbated on April 1 when the Islamic State and elements of Front of Victory attempted to widen their control of the camp beyond 80 percent and met local resistance.
Residents of the camp, especially those living in the vicinity of Palestine Mosque and Safad Street, have endured relentless bombardment for five consecutive days, resulting in the destruction of dozens of buildings and making it impossible for the injured to reach hospitals.
At least twelve camp residents have been killed in the clashes, including three during the Islamic State bombardment (Jamal Khalifa, Abdullatif Al-Rimawi and Muhammed Saleh), one by an IS sniper and one by Syrian government forces (Rodwan Al-Ahmed).
Meanwhile, dozens of Yarmouk youth were detained by IS, including 80 from the Arouba area and Madares Street, where two girls and humanitarian activists were kidnapped.