A half million Palestinian refugees are registered in Syria and slightly fewer in Lebanon. Most have remained in Syria but with the escalation of fighting in and around their camps over the past years thousands of Palestinian families fled the war seeking safer havens in neighboring Lebanon.
Most of the Palestinian families who have come to Lebanon are staying in refugee camps amid very difficult living conditions. Haj Mahmoud Abu Maree 80 is one of them.
“We were waiting to return to occupied Palestine but today we live in Lebanon after being forced to leave the Yarmouk camp (in Damascus)” he said.
In December 2012 fierce clashes erupted in Yarmouk an area of Damascus home to approximately 112000 Palestine refugees. The intensity of these clashes and the widespread use of heavy weapons caused numerous civilian casualties severe damage to property and the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestine refugees and thousands of Syrians.
In July 2013 a state of siege emerged in Yarmouk trapping the remaining 20000 civilians inside and preventing the entry of commercial and humanitarian goods. Severe hunger and deprivation emerged over the following six months while intensive armed clashes continued.
Speaking to the PIC reporter Abu Maree said that the intensive armed engagements and disease spread forced him along with his sons and grandchildren to leave Yarmouk camp and to settle in Rashidieh camp in Lebanon.
Abu Maree pointed out that he still dreams of returning to the homes they left in 1948 when Israel was established on the usurped land of Palestine.
Palestinian activist Hussein Derbas told the PIC reporter that nearly 51000 Palestinians fled from Syria during the war to neighboring Lebanon with some of them settling in refugee camps.
Only 28000 remained in Lebanon while the rest were forced to leave due to the very difficult living conditions he added.
Derbas pointed out that Palestine refugees from Syria face many similar challenges to their Syrian counterparts but also dissimilarities connected to their Palestinian identity and refugee status.
UNRWA is a lifeline to the most vulnerable Palestine refugees from Syria. Despite its decrease cash assistance and food aid by the Agency are the only fixed support they get he underlined.
