Quarterly Updates for (16 May 2016 — 15 Aug 2016)

The Palestinian community’s fate in the ongoing conflict in Syria appeared increasingly precarious this quarter. While humanitarian conditions in Yarmouk r.c. outside Damascus remained dire, renewed fighting nr. the Syrian capital put another predominantly Palestinian community, Khan Eshieh r.c., at risk. Fighting between armed rebel groups and Syrian govt. forces escalated nr. the camp late on 5/16, killing at least 12 people. According to the Jafra Foundation for Relief and Youth Development, based in Yarmouk, the fighting prevented needed supplies from reaching Khan Eshieh, endangering the well-being of the camp’s 9,000 residents. By 6/20, Jafra reported that a hidden path which residents used in order to bring supplies into the camp had been regularly targeted with sniper fire and artillery shelling. Furthermore, 3 Palestinian refugees were killed on 6/14 when an artillery shell landed nr. a camp mosque after evening prayers (UNRWA, 6/15). The violence continued through the end of the quarter. Russian warplanes targeted the camp on 6/30, killing 6 and reportedly causing massive damage. Two days of relative quiet followed the strikes before air strikes hit the camp again on 7/3, killing 3 more residents and demolishing a children’s center run by the Jafra Foundation.

While the violence nr. Khan Eshieh continued, a high-profile killing underscored the plight of Palestinian refugees in the Syrian conflict. In mid-7/2016, videos began circulating online depicting the beheading of a Palestinian child amid heavy fighting in Aleppo. The 5 rebel perpetrators claimed the boy was a pro-govt. fighter out of whom they sought to make an example.