Cease-fire reached in Palestinian camp in Syria

18,000 civilians have been trapped for over a year after government forces blockaded Yarmouk refugee camp

By AP 22 June 2014, 9:41 pm 2

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Residents of Syria's besieged Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp carry food parcels, February 1, 2014 (photo credit: UNRWA/AFP)

BEIRUT — Various fighting factions and the Syrian government reached a cease-fire agreement in a besieged Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, activists and state media said Sunday.

If it holds, the agreement in the Yarmouk, the largest of nine Palestinian camps in Syria, could help ease the suffering of some 18,000 civilians who have been trapped there since the government imposed a blockade in mid-2013. Previous agreements to end the fighting in Yarmouk have all collapsed.

The official SANA news agency the latest deal was sponsored by the Syrian government and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the cease-fire.

Under the agreement, heavy weapons are to be removed from the camp, barriers are to be taken down and an internal force is to be created to ensure security. The main entrances to the camp are to be opened, and infrastructure is to be restored.

The Observatory said rebel groups in the camp, as well as pro- and anti-Assad Palestinian factions are all party to the deal.