Damascus – Action Group
A recent report by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) revealed that approximately 92% of Palestinian refugees in Syria will suffer from food insecurity by 2025, amidst the ongoing economic and humanitarian deterioration affecting Palestinian communities in the country.
According to the report, more than 90% of Palestinian refugees live below the poverty line, while the number of Palestinian refugees residing in Syria remains estimated at around 418,000, of whom approximately 30% are internally displaced as a result of the Syrian revolution and the accompanying displacement and widespread destruction of camps.
The report noted the return of more than 42,000 Palestinian refugees to the Yarmouk, Ein al-Tal, and Daraa camps. However, UNRWA clarified that the extensive destruction of housing, infrastructure, and basic services continues to hinder the stability and sustainability of the returnees.
The agency emphasized that the continued provision of its essential services in the areas of health, education, and relief requires urgent funding, and called upon the international community to support early recovery programs and camp rehabilitation, thereby creating the conditions for a safe, dignified, and sustainable return for Palestinian refugees.
This report comes in the wake of UNRWA’s announcement in the past period of its intention to expand early recovery programs in Syria, at a time when humanitarian indicators indicate that the widening scope of poverty and food insecurity necessitates strengthening the humanitarian response and expanding support programs in line with the growing needs of Palestinian refugees.