Palestinian refugee child Khaled Fadi Hasan succumbed on Thursday evening to wounds he sustained last week in a fuel tank blast in Kafr Sabt School, in Jaramana Camp, in Syria’s Rif Dimashq province.

Residents of Jaramana Camp marched in the child’s funeral procession after his family bid him last farewell.

Sometime earlier, Palestinian refugee Ramzi Alyan Ali died as he carried out maintenance works at Kafr Sabt School. A tank explosion left him dead and two students injured, including Khaled.

Landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which are particularly unpredictable and difficult to detect, continue to put millions of people, including Palestine refugees, at risk.

Data by the UN Agency for Palestine refugees indicates that in Syria, approximately 1 in 2 people are at risk from explosive contamination and 1/3 of the communities are potentially contaminated. Contamination severely impacts lives, livelihoods and amplifies the social and economic crisis aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

People displaced or returning home are at high risk as they have limited information on safety issues in the areas they are going to.

This threat is particularly high for Palestine refugees in Syria, especially in newly-accessible or difficult-to-reach areas. These include areas that Palestine refugees have recently returned to areas such as Yarmouk, Ein el Tal and Dera'a camp.

Children on their way to and from school are highly exposed to the dangers of explosive ordnance.