Talk:Yarmouk Camp

Early Violence
(forthcoming)

Summer 2012

 * SOHR Facebook, August 2, 2012:
 * Footage from Damascus showing the direct aftermath of yesterday's (2/8/2012) mortar shelling of the Yarmouk camp. 15 people, 2 of them children, were killed by the assault. (video


 * SOHR Facebook, Aug. 5: Final report on the documented deaths for 4/8/2012
 * 15 unidentified corpses were found in the city of Damascus, they were killed recently. 6 of them, including a child, were shot on the al-Mutahaleq al-Janubi (southern ring road) in the Jobar area. The 9 other corpses were found in the neighbourhoods of al-Mukhayam al-Filastini (Palestinian camp), Mukhayam al-Yarmouk and al-Tadamon.

December Rebel Conquest

 * December 18: Ahmed Jibril flees, rebels have won.
 * December 19: Israel trumpets rebel victory
 * Side-note - this is surreal, having studied the Lockerbie bombing (do check out Morag G. Kerr's new book!). Iranians ordered that, Jibril's PFLP-GC, based in Syria (but with Syrian role I know of beyond that), arranged the bombing, likely through Jibril's nephew, "Abu Elias." He now lives in Virginia, it seems, hushed-up until recently as "Basel Bushnaq," Libya was blamed for Lockerbie and sanctioned as a terrorist state, they were later regime-changed with al-Qaeda in the Maghreb's help, uncontrollable terrorists from there are now attacking Syria, in concert with Sunni extremists fighting the PFLP-GC in Syria to cheers in Israel, in concert with the campaign against Iran and its allies, which previously gave us such hits as the July 1988 downing of Iran Air 655, which led directly to Lockerbie. Only parts of that are relevant here, but oh well. I can go off at times. --Caustic Logic (talk) 15:07, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Control of Yarmouk seems to have first been in rebel hands at that point, and has gone back-and-forth somewhat after this, but with rebels apparently in charge at the moment. --Caustic Logic (talk) 15:07, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

"Liberated" Yarmouk

 * March 3, 2013: Syrian rebels hang two 'collaborators'

PFLP-GC "Shabiha"
The VDC lists 17 "Shabiha" killed Aug. 24, 2013 in the Yarmouk camp. All are listed as members of the PFLP-GC. This supports that "Shabiha" is the demonizing term for popular committees (Lijan Shabiya) and all local defenders, not just an Alawite death cult militia of the Assad family. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:33, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Ah, 2013 ... this is a week after rebels were fighting local committees in Christian Marmarita, Homs province. There the fight was with "Lijan Shabieh," local committees, VDC says. Others specify "the filth shabeeha" of Marmarita killed those Christian civilians by putting them in the way of rebel rockets. --Caustic Logic (talk) 15:50, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Siege and Starvation in Yarmouk
See: here for one of the basic questions we might ask here. Why are certain people, especially when they're children, starving clear to death while others - notably the rebel fighters and activists and field clinic "doctors" all around them - aren't, and with full bellies blame the regime. Clearly food is getting in/is available, it's just not being shared. In a rebel-held area (like all those allegedly besieged so babies are starving), that will be a problem to take up with the rebel administrators, especially those holding hostages, from whom it's easier to withhold food. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:26, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Syrian Perspective – January 8, 2014:
 * The 42 years old Sahar Tawfiq Omaik died of #hunger today in #Yarmouk #Palestinian #Refugee #Camp in #Syria.


 * LCC Syria News - January 9, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
 * Aref Abdullah the five months old baby from Al-Yarmouk camp in Damascus martyred due to starvation. Before his martyrdom he was beaten with his family while trying to escape through Yilda checkpoint. video
 * After his starvation, he doesn't appear the slightest bit emaciated or even malnourished. Nor really beaten either. I'd guess suffocation. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:26, 13 January 2014 (UTC)


 * LCC Syria News - January 10, 2014 (Warning: Graphic Videos)
 * (Horrible top image of two living but very emaciated babies. One appears to be...)
 * The Palestinian child "Alaa Al-Masri "is facing death in Al-Yarmouk camp video - alive but not needed anymore - death report expected today - no one could get her any food, this whole damn time...) --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:26, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Oh yeah, this is days old. I did call it. Same-day in fact. Alae al-Masri died Jan. 10. Another baby girl and no one else starved in Yarmouk the same day. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:26, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Below that:
 * An elderly died of starvation in Yarmouk refugee cam [sic] video - wasted away, terrible. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:26, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

So the reality of starvation is documented and undeniable. The VDC records (see below) show the first case in August last year, with the steady stream beginning in October. Here's an article with some background and detail, bemoaning the situation:
 * Ramzy Baroud, al-Arabiya, Jan. 14: Starving refugees: how we disowned Palestinians in Syria:
 * A worst case scenario is unfolding in Syria and Palestinian refugees, particularly in the Yarmouk refugee camp, are paying a heavy price for Syria’s cruelest war. They are starving, although there can be no justification, nor logistical explanation, for why they are dying from hunger.

There is so a logical explanation, it's just not the siege and not easy to get al-Arabya to publish. To be fair, if he's suggesting there's no excuse for "the regime" to starve people like this, it's suggested softly. The article comes across as fairly even-handed, considering its provenance. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:23, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

Then we have this chain of events:
 * Ma'an News Jan 12:
 * A Fatah official said that the siege on Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp would be lifted on Monday. Central Committee Member Mohammad Shtayyeh said Sunday that Palestinian sources in Yarmouk told him the siege would be lifted on Monday, without providing further details.


 * Ma'an News Jan 13:
 * A delegation representing the PLO shipped six truckloads of food and medicine into the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus on Monday, an official said. Awni Abu Ghosh, a member of the politburo of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said in a statement that the shipment marked a "breakthrough" in the Yarmouk camp crisis.
 * The statement added that six trucks loaded with foods and medicines were headed to the Yarmouk camp under the auspices of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. The trucks are expected to enter the camp on Monday afternoon to help ease the humanitarian crisis inside the camp.
 * If fair distribution could be assured with the current management (and that's apparently not the case) this shipment might well have helped. However:


 * Press TV Jan 13: Syria militants attack aid convoy to Yarmouk
 * Ma'an News Jan 13:
 * "All efforts to end the siege on Yarmouk camp have failed," the director of the Palestinian Democratic Union told Ma'an. There was "an incident that occurred at the entrance of the camp, preventing the entry of supplies," Khalid Abu al-Haija said, without elaborating. A PLO Executive Committee member said that the presence of militants in Yarmouk camp impeded the entry of supplies, due to a heavy exchange of fire.
 * Ahmad Majdalani said that Palestinian officials would continue their efforts to "save refugees in Yarmouk camp." "We are in intensive contact with Syrian officials and militants in Palestinian camps in Syria in order to reach a solution and create a safe passage for the entry of relief supplies to Yarmouk," Majdalani said.
 * Message sent, not as subtly as it should be: "that's not what we meant by lifting the siege. Until truck with fresh fighters and heavier weaponry are allowed, people will die of starvation daily until we run out." Also proven - those rebels themselves are well fed enough they were willing to chase food aid away just to make some kind of point by worsening the crisis. Also, obviously, they'll blame sleeper cells of Shabiha for the incident. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:23, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

VDC

 * 39 Yarmuk/Yarmouk deaths by "other" as of January 12. Some carry the note "Martyred as a result of malnutrition and starvation because of the siege imposed by the forces of regime on the city, Palestinian nationality." Children and elderly predominate lately. I didn't see a clear match for the elderly man above, but this is another, died Jan. 11.


 * Also: Un-allowed to seek Medical help -- Petri Krohn (talk) 17:18, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Good call. A smaller and murkier category, but part of this picture. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:32, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

"Other" will include more than starvation: medical problems, maybe car accidents, heart attacks (especially if it's from fear of regime this-or-that), and now winter cold. But mainly I think itll be suspiciously starved people. They start with a baby, Jana Ahmad Hasan, died August 18, 2013 from starvation (imposed by whoever) complicated by "lack of appropriate infant milk to her and did not accept any breastfeeding than any other nursing" and also by "note that her mother had not been able to access the camp a few days ago." Starvings picked up only in October: the regime starved a 92-year-old woman, Azizeih Muhammad Nouaeimi Oct. 15, a non-emaciated infant girl Oct. 28, a wasted 4-year-old boy (from Yarmouk, martyred in Hajar Aswad?) Nov. 2, etc. Deaths from "other" occur there on 11-10, 11-20, two on 12-16, 12-21, two on 12-23, 12-24, 12-26, four on 12-27, three on 12-29 and the food is really running low now. One dead each Dec. 30 and 31, three on January 1, three on the third, then five days there was a bit off food again? Jan. 8 two die, one the 9th, two baby girls the 10th, two women and a man on the 11th, two men (Qurabi and Shihada) on the 12th.
 * Jan. 13, two more, both starving victims. A man Basel Hasan Shehabiand a woman Nour

October 26, 2013: An unusual case: Mahmod Ahmad Alaa Eddin from Yarmuk Camp "Palestinian, Martyred due to eating wheat grains contaminated with mice poison, because of the food shortage because of the siege imposed by the forces of regime on the city, which led to hair loss then death, members of his family are still sick due to the same reason." I could swear I'd seen another entry, in Yarmouk the same basic time, got sick from grain purposefully poisoned - by Shabiha. Can't re-locate it right now. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:42, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

(to move later, stumbled on: 2012-11-17, Damascus Suburbs: Bahariah: "he was martyred after suffocating due to poisonous chemical gas dropped from the regime's warplanes on Al-Bahariya town in what appears to be the first time such thing happens". Cause: other. Then I guess they created the category for toxic gasses. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:42, 13 January 2014 (UTC))