Ahead of the third anniversary of the crisis in Syria, a leading international human rights group issued a report on Monday, March 10, revealing that war crimes have been carried out on Palestinian and Syrian civilians in Yarmouk camp which is under brutal siege by Syrian government forces.

“Life in Yarmouk has grown increasingly unbearable for desperate civilians who find themselves starving and trapped in a downward cycle of suffering with no means of escape,” Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International, said in a press release on the group’s website.

“Civilians of Yarmouk are being treated like pawns in a deadly game in which they have no control.”

Titled, ‘Squeezing the life out of Yarmouk: War crimes against besieged civilians’, the report highlights the deaths of nearly 200 individuals since the siege was tightened in July 2013 and access to crucial food and medical supplies was cut off.

The report, based on Amnesty International’s research, found that 128 of those who have died starved to death in the catastrophic humanitarian crisis that has emerged.

Putting thousands of civilians under chocking siege, the Syrian regime has repeated attacks, including air raids and shelling with heavy weapons, on civilian buildings such as schools, hospitals and a mosque in Yarmouk.

Some of the areas attacked had served as shelters for people who have been internally displaced by the conflict. Doctors and medical staff have also been targeted.

“Launching indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, leading to deaths and injuries, is a war crime. To repeatedly strike a heavily populated area, where the civilians have no means of escape, demonstrates a ruthless attitude and a callous disregard for the most basic principles of international humanitarian law,” said Philip Luther.

Slow Death

Living in the closed camp, at least 60 per cent of those remaining in Yarmouk are said to be suffering from malnutrition, facing slow death with no food available for them.

“Syrian forces are committing war crimes by using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war,” said Philip Luther.

“The harrowing accounts of families having to resort to eating cats and dogs, and civilians attacked by snipers as they forage for food, have become all too familiar details of the horror story that has materialized in Yarmouk.”

The siege has led to skyrocketing prices, with most residents confirming that they had not eaten fruit or vegetables for many months and a kilo of rice costs up to US$100.

Deployed to help starving civilians, aid workers at UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) during January and February 2014 has compared their efforts to a “drop in the ocean”.

“Deaths are mounting in Yarmouk and the situation is dire. It is extremely distressing to think that in many cases, lives could have been saved had proper medical care been available,” said Philip Luther.

The siege was not affecting people’s food only after reports emerged about hospitals running out of the most basic medical supplies, being forced to shutdown.

Medical workers have also been repeatedly harassed. At least 12 have been arrested during the siege, often at checkpoints

Six disappeared after being seized by Syrian government forces. At least one doctor is believed to have died as a result of being tortured in custody.

“Targeting doctors or medical workers who are trying to assist the sick and wounded is a war crime. All sides must refrain from attacks on medical and other humanitarian workers,” said Philip Luther.

Collective Punishment

Amnesty International called for ending Yarmouk siege collective punishment, urging an immediate and unconditional release of all those who have been detained solely for their political opinions or identity.

“The siege of Yarmouk amounts to collective punishment of the civilian population,” said Philip Luther.

“The Syrian government must end its siege immediately and allow humanitarian agencies unfettered access to assist suffering civilians,” he added.

At least 150 people from Yarmouk have been arrested since April 2011, with more than 80 still in detention as of late February 2014.

A UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for all parties to the conflict to immediately lift sieges of populated areas, unhindered access for humanitarian agencies and an end to violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, was agreed last month.

But this has yet to lead to a tangible improvement in the situation of besieged civilians.

“The siege of Yarmouk is the deadliest of a series of armed blockades of other civilian areas, imposed by Syrian armed forces or armed opposition groups on a quarter of a million people across the country,” Philip Luther said.

“These sieges are causing immeasurable human suffering and all of them must end immediately.”

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/middle-east/470135-starvation-a-war-crime-in-yarmouk.html

https://new.islamstory.com/index.php/en/artical/17201/Starvation-War-Crime-Yarmouk