Situational overview
The situation in Syria has further deteriorated this week, as unabated violence has lead to a rising death toll, significant displacement and immense suffering for Syrians and Palestine refugees. The escalation in violence since the launch of UNRWA's Syria Crisis Response 2013 has led to an increase in the number of Palestine refugees in Syria in need of humanitarian assistance, which is estimated to have reached over 400,000 individuals. Approximately 20,000 Palestine refugees have sought safety in Lebanon and an estimated 3,622 Palestine refugees from Syria have fled to Jordan.
Syria
At a glance:
Conflict continues throughout most of the country, claiming the lives of at least eighteen Palestine refugees, including a staff member's brother in Sbeineh during the last week;
A total of four staff were detained during the reporting period, three allegedly by armed opposition groups in the vicinity of Neirab, Yarmouk and Khan Eshieh camps, and one allegedly by security forces in Sit Zeinab. Two were later released but the other two, one from Aleppo and one from Neirab, remain in detention;
Three staff members sustained serious injuries when a generator exploded in Neirab camp. Two of them subsequently died, while the third remains in hospital in critical condition. The incident is considered to be accidental and is not related to the conflict;
In Damascus, hostilities continued in the immediate vicinity and within a number of camps, namely Yarmouk, Sbeineh, Sit Zeinab and Husseinieh;
Hostilities also intensified to the southwest of the city, around Khan Eshieh camp. Several schools were damaged and burglarised;
Hostilities throughout Eastern Rif Damascus Governorate intensified this week, forcing UNRWA to suspend most of its activities in the area due to insecurity and lack of access;
Dera'a and the immediate vicinity of the camp is the scene of regular clashes, shelling, and kidnapping;
On a more positive note, a retired area staff member that had previously been detained in Damascus was released this week.
UNRWA maintains its operations in Syria despite the grave security situation and limited access to areas of armed conflict. Since the start of the conflict, UNRWA's network of over 3,600 staff has provided 28,652 refugee households with food parcels, 10,343 mattresses, 19,682 blankets, and cash assistance for 54,040 families throughout Syria. In some areas of highly restricted humanitarian access such as Aleppo, Dera'a, and Rif Damascus Governorate, the Agency has provided life-saving emergency health care, cash assistance, food and winter items to protect against exposure to the cold.
Currently, there are 8,641 IDPs sheltering in UNRWA facilities in Syria, of which 44 per cent are children. The IDPs are unable to afford alternative shelter and are dependent on humanitarian aid for their basic needs. Amongst the population of IDPs in UNRWA facilities, highly vulnerable groups include 83 pregnant women, 15 of whom are in their ninth month of pregnancy, and 54 newborn babies. Other Palestine refugees who may not have the means to flee areas of civil strife are extremely vulnerable to high risks of exposure to violence, cold and the impossibility of surviving without humanitarian assistance.