A committee has been appointed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to assess the damage wrought on a displacement camp in war-torn Syria.

The UNRWA committee entered Deraa Camp for Palestinian refugees, south of Syria, to weigh up the condition of the Agency’s premises, which have sustained severe damage in the Syrian warfare.

The move will reportedly pave the way for the reconstruction of UNRWA facilities in Deraa Camp.

Residents of Deraa Camp for Palestinian refugees, south of Syria, continue to call on the international human rights organizations to work on rehabilitating schools and vital premises, particularly healthcare facilities, which have been destroyed in the ten-year conflict.

UN data indicates that Deraa refugee camp is located inside Deraa City, in southern Syria. Palestinian refugees came to the Deraa area in two waves in 1948 and in 1967.

However, as the recent conflict unraveled, the camp became engulfed by violence and 90 per cent of the camp population had to leave the camp and seek safety in other areas such as Deraa city, Damascus or Jordan. Most UNRWA services were moved to alternative premises in Deraa city.

Deraa camp and its surroundings returned to government control in the summer of 2018. The camp is now largely destroyed. Inside Deraa camp, all premises including three school buildings and a clinic need substantial repairs or complete rebuilding.

Deraa camp was home to 10,500 Palestine refugees before 2011. As of November 2018, 400 Palestine refugee families have returned since the camp returned to government hands.