Aid convoy reaches camp of Palestinian refugees on Syrian-Iraqi border
23 Jun 2008
The Relief Committee for Palestinians in Iraq organised an aid convoy to the At-Tanaf refugee camp, on the Syrian-Iraqi border, to coincide with International Refugee Day on Friday, in cooperation with the Turkish charity LHH.
At-Tanaf is a relatively new camp housing Palestinian refugees from 1948 and their descendents who were living in Iraqi cities and towns until the Iraq war broke out in 2003. As the civil strife in Iraq increased, Palestinians were increasingly targeted by different Iraqi factions, and many fled for Jordan or Syria. The refugees in At-Tanaf were refused entry to Syria and are still living in tents in the desert on the Iraqi-Syrian border.
The number of refugees in the camp has increased to over 700 and continues to rise as Palestinian refugee families are returned from Syria and arrive at the At-Tanaf camp.
The convoy distributed air conditioning units, food, and cleaning supplies to each refugee family in the camp. A delegation from the Committee for Palestinian Return (Wajib) in the As-Sayyida Zeinab refugee camp also visited to review the living conditions in the At-Tanaf refugee camp.
During the Relief Committee's tour of At-Tanaf camp, they met with refugees who described their difficult living conditions. The weather during the summer months is extremely hot, with temperatures rising to more than 40°C during the day, and harmful insects fill the tents. The refugees requested urgent assistance in dealing with these problems.
Refugees from the camp appealed for the Arab and Islamic nations and international organizations to intervene immediately to end their ongoing tragedy.
Meanwhile, Sweden announced the names of some 150 refugees it has agreed to host on Saturday. These refugees have already spent more than two years living in the desert. Chile previously agreed to host 116 refugees from the camp.