Syria: Palestinians still caught up in fighting

At least 28 Palestinian refugees were killed in Syria during July as refugee camps in the country continue to be dragged into the civil war. The UN agency for Palestine refugees,UNRWA, estimates that the homes of 44,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria have been damaged by conflict, and that half of the approximately 500,000 Palestinian refugees in the country are now displaced either within Syria or in neighboring countries. An UNRWA staff member was killed in Syria in July, the seventh to have been killed in the conflict; 13 of the agency’s staff in Syria are detained or have been reported missing.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hs reportedly brokered a deal to end the fighting in Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp, the country's biggest. After Damascus gave its approval, the proposal now awaits the agreement of the Palestinian factions at the camp. The deal apparently calls for the anti-Assad factions that have controlled the camp for a year now to cease using the camp as a base for attacks in return for security guarantees; restoration of water, electricity and other services; and an amnesty for all those camp residents who have been detained if their involvement in the fighting cannot be confirmed. (Electronic Intifada, Aug. 5; Al Bawaba, Aug. 2)