Published : 21-12-2021
Residents of Khan Eshieh Camp for Palestinian refugees denounced the crackdowns imposed by the recently-appointed camp spokesman.
Reporting from the area, an AGPS news correspondent said the new spokesman has been ordering civilians to issue new identity documents and heavily interrogating them, forcing civilians to seek help from authorities outside the camp.
The residents said the spokesman has been appointed on political rather than humanitarian grounds.
Palestinian families taking refuge in Khan Eshieh camp have been struggling with squalid humanitarian conditions inflicted by the eleven-year warfare. Palestinian families have been overburdened by the price leap and absence of humanitarian aid.
According to UN data, Khan Eshieh camp lies beside the ancient ruins of Khan Eshieh, 27km south-west of Damascus. The camp historically served as an overnight shelter for trade caravans on the road between Damascus and the southwest, and in 1948, it provided shelter for the first refugees from Palestine. The camp was established in 1949 on an area of 0.69 square kilometers with refugees originally from the northern part of Palestine.
Before the conflict in Syria, the camp was home to more than 20,000 Palestine refugees. In 2012, the farms and fields surrounding the camp became active battlegrounds in which heavy weapons were deployed, often indiscriminately. The population more than halved to 9,000.
Some of the camp's buildings and infrastructure were severely affected including some UNRWA installations; two UNRWA schools and the community centre were almost razed to the ground. In 2016, UNRWA was able to re-access Khan Esheih and the Agency was able to rehabilitate some of its installations. Residents have also slowly started to return, with the camp now accommodating 12,000 people.
Residents of Khan Eshieh Camp for Palestinian refugees denounced the crackdowns imposed by the recently-appointed camp spokesman.
Reporting from the area, an AGPS news correspondent said the new spokesman has been ordering civilians to issue new identity documents and heavily interrogating them, forcing civilians to seek help from authorities outside the camp.
The residents said the spokesman has been appointed on political rather than humanitarian grounds.
Palestinian families taking refuge in Khan Eshieh camp have been struggling with squalid humanitarian conditions inflicted by the eleven-year warfare. Palestinian families have been overburdened by the price leap and absence of humanitarian aid.
According to UN data, Khan Eshieh camp lies beside the ancient ruins of Khan Eshieh, 27km south-west of Damascus. The camp historically served as an overnight shelter for trade caravans on the road between Damascus and the southwest, and in 1948, it provided shelter for the first refugees from Palestine. The camp was established in 1949 on an area of 0.69 square kilometers with refugees originally from the northern part of Palestine.
Before the conflict in Syria, the camp was home to more than 20,000 Palestine refugees. In 2012, the farms and fields surrounding the camp became active battlegrounds in which heavy weapons were deployed, often indiscriminately. The population more than halved to 9,000.
Some of the camp's buildings and infrastructure were severely affected including some UNRWA installations; two UNRWA schools and the community centre were almost razed to the ground. In 2016, UNRWA was able to re-access Khan Esheih and the Agency was able to rehabilitate some of its installations. Residents have also slowly started to return, with the camp now accommodating 12,000 people.
