PLO: Palestine refugees will not return to Yarmouk camp ‘any time soon’

Thousands of displaced Palestinian refugees will not be able to return to their homes in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus “any time soon”, the director of the PLO’s Political Department, Ambassador Anwar Abdul-Hadi, has said.

Many of the camp’s residential buildings could collapse at any moment and are therefore are uninhabitable, Abdul-Hadi continued, adding that the Damascus Governor has called for the buildings to be assessed before families can return to their homes.

He noted that the Syrian government had agreed to remove the rubble from the streets.

On 19 April 2018, Syrian regime forces, supported by the Russian air force, carried out a military operation to expel Daesh militants from Yarmouk. The opereation led to the destruction of 60 per cent of the camp.

Palestinian refugees in Syria have suffered greatly as a result of the civil war in the country with many unable to flee as they neighbouring countries do not allow them refugee status. The Action Group for Palestinians of Syria said more than 600 Palestinian families in the Daraa refugee camp are suffering as a result of a lack of medical services and facilities.

The group explained that the UNRWA clinic in  the camp has not been renovated or rebuilt while an alternative place for treatment has not been provided in or near the camp to serve its residents.

READ: 15 Palestinian refugees killed in Syrian regime shelling on Yarmouk camp