OFFICIAL STATEMENT
UNRWA statement on
deadly attack in Sayyida Zeinab on 11 June killing five Palestine refugees
14 Jun 2015
Damascus
The UNITED NATIONS WORKS AND RELIEF AGENCY (UNRWA) strongly condemns the parties responsible for two explosions in the vicinity of Qabr Essit camp in the town of Sayyida Zeinab on 11 June 2016. One explosion claimed the lives of 14 civilians and injured over a hundred.
This is the fourth such attack in Sayyida Zeinab since January this year. A pattern has emerged of the deliberate targeting of civilians in this area. The perpetrators of these outrageous acts deserve the strongest denunciation. UNRWA staff express their sincere condolences to the bereaved Syrian and Palestinian families.
At approximately 10.30 hrs on 11 June, an explosion was triggered approximately 200 meters from the entrance of Qabr Essit camp, killing at least 14 civilians including five Palestine refugees. Of those injured, many remain in a critical condition. Minutes after the first explosion, a second device was detonated on the road between Sayyida Zeinab and the nearby town of Husseiniyeh. At this stage, no casualties have been reported from the second blast.
The Palestine refugees killed were five year-old Younes Awadallah al-Najjar and his 12 year-old brother Imad Awadallah al-Najjar, 18 year-old Taha Ahmed Sharqi, 45 year-old Mohammed Abd al-Ghaffar Abu al-Haijeh, and 44 year-old Mahmoud Hassan Tayym. Fourteen Palestine refugees with ages ranging from 10 months to 60 years are among the wounded.
On 31 January 2016, three coordinated explosions in Sayyida Zeinab resulted in the death of 35 civilians and injured 150. On 24 February, another attack took the lives of 134 people, including 31 Palestine refugees. A third bombing took place on 25 April and killed at least seven civilians, and wounded dozens.
The incidents on 11 June took place in a broader and deeply concerning context of significant escalation of the armed conflict in several areas in Syria, including Aleppo governorate and rural Damascus. During the first week of June, two Palestine refugees were killed and a third was injured in Aleppo city. The lives and safety of Palestine refugees in Khan Eshieh camp in southern rural Damascus continue to be gravely endangered by recurrent armed conflict involving the frequent use of artillery.
The deliberate targeting of civilians, including Palestine refugees, is prohibited by international law and must cease. It is imperative that all sides respect and comply with their international humanitarian law obligations to protect civilians.
Background information on Khan Eshiesh camp :
UNRWA in Syria provides vital humanitarian support and health and education services to 450,000 Palestine refugees. Over 95 percent of the Palestine refugees are wholly reliant on UNRWA humanitarian aid.
In the Governorate of Aleppo, UNRWA serves some 25,000 Palestine refugees who reside in Aleppo city and Neirab camp. Many of these refugees have experienced displacement. Ein El Tal camp (Handarat) located north of Aleppo city was once home to around 7,000 residents. In April 2013, armed groups entered the camp, forcibly displacing the entire population over a period of some 48 hours. As the camp has been a theatre of armed conflict since then, it is likely to have sustained extensive damage. Neirab camp is southeast of Aleppo city and is situated adjacent to an airport. The camp’s 15,000 residents include Palestine refugees displaced from Ein El Tal and further afield. Neirab residents have experienced the effects of armed conflict at varying intensity since 2012.
Khan Eshieh camp, home to about 9,000 Palestine refugees, is located in a volatile area in the rural area south of Damascus, where spikes in violence have caused the death of seven Palestine refugees in the past two weeks. Since 2012, the farms and fields surrounding the camp have been active battlegrounds in which heavy weapons have been deployed with often indiscriminate impact. Some 75 UNRWA staff residing in the camp strive to maintain support to Palestine refugees through limited services offered in three schools, a health clinic, and a community centre. UNRWA’s work is impeded by the fact that since 2013, humanitarian access to Khan Eshieh has been constrained. To receive assistance, Palestine refugees must travel at great personal risk to UNRWA distribution centers in Sahnaya or Khan Dannoun.
– Ends –
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness UNRWA Spokesperson Mobile: +972 (0)54 240 2659 Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267 | Sami Mshasha |
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