President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Nasr Al-Hariri, sent a letter to Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) regarding the situation of Palestinian refugees in Syria who live in extremely dire conditions.
Al-Hariri stressed the importance of preserving UNRWA’s role as the international witness to the issue of Palestinian refugees, and the international reference for their humanitarian affairs in all aspects of their lives.
“Since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, Palestinian camps and gatherings in Syria have been affected, and have been deliberately targeted by the Syrian regime forces and its allies, and in some cases, they have been subjected to attacks by ISIS,” the letter said.
Al-Hariri also said that these field incidents exacerbated the suffering of Palestinian refugees in Syria. Especially in light of the large numbers of them being subjected to forced displacement experiences at the hands of the Syrian regime forces, in addition to the experience of internal displacement, which included more than 70% of their general population, and more than 200,000 refugees were forced to flee outside Syria.
“It was remarkable during their previous stations that the services and assistance of UNRWA did not target a specific segment of the displaced refugees who are in areas outside the control of the regime, even though they constitute the group most in need of relief and assistance. We would like to inform you that there are approximately 5000 thousand displaced Palestinian refugees, who live in camps and separate areas in the northwest of Syria, and they are actually suffering from the bitterness of displacement, poverty and destitution at the same time.”
The letter added: “We also draw your attention to the complaints received from our refugee families in the Daraa governorate, southern Syria, where a number of them are still, and despite the reconciliations that took place in those areas, not benefiting from the grants and assistance provided by UNRWA in that area even after the return of its activities and work.”
Al-Hariri called for the agency’s efforts to “include all those deprived of our refugee brothers from UNRWA aid and services, and we express our readiness in the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, to ensure that your aid reaches the displaced refugees in the northwest regions of Syria.” (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
