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The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has asked for greater access to a Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus where refugees have had to live without water for 40 days.
Deputy Commissioner General for the UNRWA Margot Ellis said that increased access to Yarmuk camp was top priority.
“In the conversations we had with the government, we were imploring them, urging them to allow us… to take more food into the camp. We have the supplies of food, we stand ready with the staff to deliver that food but we need the government’s approval”, Ellis said.
Ellis also said that the UNRWA was delivering food and medical aid to around 18,000 Palestinians living in the camp. However, the delivery meets only 20% of their needs.
Ellis added that discussions with the Syrian regime have been positive and that the agency was hoping it could step up and assist.
“The government left open the door yesterday to allow greater assistance into Yarmuk, so we’re hoping to see greater levels of assistance going into Yarmuk in the next weeks”, Ellis said.
The Yarmuk camp was a bustling suburb and had over 160,000 Syrian and Palestinian residents. However, it has since been devastated by fighting and a strict blockade imposed by the Syrian army a year ago which has created dire humanitarian conditions.
Syrian NGOs have said that almost 200 people have died due to the shortages.
The UNRWA has repeatedly drawn attention to conditions in the camp; earlier this year, it circulated a photograph of thousands of residents queuing for a share of a paltry food delivery.
Residents have also complained of water shortages in recent weeks.
“People are getting water from wells and are forced to walk long distances to transport water from one part of the camp to another”, camp resident Rami al-Sayyed told AFP.