The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) in London submitted a written statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which is circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.

Entitled “Palestinian Refugees Facing Squalid Humanitarian Condition in the Northern Part of the Syrian Arab Republic Displacement Camps”, the report said that more than eleven years of relentless violence and deteriorating economic conditions continue to undermine the resilience of Palestine refugees living in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The report said that over 1,500 Palestinian refugee families have reached the northern part of the Syrian Arab Republic since the start of the conflict, where they have been crammed in substandard housing facilities and denied access to the most vital services, most notably healthcare.

PRC warned that the dire situation has resulted in an increased number of deaths, abortions, and neonatal deaths,

particularly with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Inappropriate medical diagnoses, shortage in staff and equipment along with medicines dearth have had tragic consequences.

The report added that limited access to running water, pharmacies and medical facilities mean displacement camps for Palestinian refugees and Syrians are especially vulnerable. Most hospitals and medical facilities have been bombed, rendering them out of order.

PRC warned that an acute dearth in potable water continues to rock the area, where water tanks are being filled just once a week, forcing civilians to line up in long queues for hours and under scorching heat to get a few liters.

At the same time, Palestinian refugees families in the northern part of the Syrian Arab Republic have been deprived of vital assistance by UNRWA on claims that they are sheltered  in inaccessible or opposition-held zones, added the report.

PRC urged UNRWA to live up to its responsibility regarding the Palestinian refugee community in the northern part of the Syrian Arab Republic and to provide them with the humanitarian and legal assistance they are in quite urgent need of.

PRC called on donor countries to mobilize funds for UNRWA and help the Agency overcome its financial deficit in order to be able to maintain its vital services for Palestine refugees pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.