400 Palestinian refugees are being detained in Syria

The working group for Palestinians in Syria said its documentation team has found that 400 Palestinian refugees are being detained in Syria. In a press release, the group stated that the Syrian regime has detained 360 Palestinian refugees and the opposition forces have detained 40.

The group said that two detained Palestinians recently died in Syria: Maan Ghbaar, a Palestinian citizen who died under torture in a Syrian prison; and Faiz Ahmed Khalil, who died of wounds he had sustained two days ago during clashes with the Free Syrian Army. Khalil was a member of the People’s Front.

The group pointed out that the Palestinian refugee camps in Deraa have been suffering from power outages for 35 consecutive days now. The Jafra Youth Foundation for Relief and Development, in cooperation with the Palestinian Civil Committee of Khan Al-Sheeh refugee camp, has distributed 300 electric lighting chargers to some of the poorer families there.

Meanwhile, an operation to vaccinate children in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus started this morning and aid is now being distributed to the camp’s residents. A few patients have also been evacuated from the camp for treatment.

Regime forces and supporting militias have placed the Palestinian residents in the Yarmouk camp under a strict siege. UN agencies have had difficulties delivering humanitarian aid since last September, and the resulting food shortages have led to widespread malnutrition and dozens of deaths.