Yarmouk camp, located on the outskirts of Damascus, was home to 160,000 Palestinian refugees before 2011 and served as an important trade center. After the onset of the Syrian civil war, its fate changed dramatically. Initially neutral, the camp became embroiled in conflict, suffering aerial bombings and a siege imposed by the Assad regime. The camp’s internal dynamics shifted as Palestinian factions aligned with various sides in the war, leading to a worsening situation for its inhabitants and significant destruction to its infrastructure.
The street is dotted with small businesses getting back on their feet after over a decade of war in Syria. Closed shutters gathering dust, piles of garbage and destruction all around are eerie reminders of what the camp has witnessed.
Before 2011, Yarmouk housed about 160,000 Palestinian refugees, and was a key trade center and business hub. As one resident says, the camp was a 'city of its own.'
In December 2012, the Assad regime began employing aerial warfare in the camp; a Russian-model MiG jet bombed a mosque, hospital, and school sheltering refugees, marking the start of a destructive campaign by Assad, backed by Russia.
In 2013, intensification of fighting in Yarmouk was accompanied by a massive siege of the camp imposed by the Assad government. Soon after, opposition factions took over the camp and gradually, the situation within it worsened.
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