“The situation was bad and has only gotten worse,” United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Chris Gunness said of the conditions in the Yarmouk refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus in Syria on Monday night. 

Islamic State terrorists have seized the Palestinian camp after a week-long battle, and have already begun committing atrocities, including beheadings. Gunness described the situation as inhuman. 

Since ISIS’s takeover of the camp, which was previously under siege by the Syrian regime during the country’s civil war, UNRWA officials have been unable to bring food or medical supplies to residents. 

“There is no food, no water, and few medicines. People are trapped in their homes as street fighting continues. It has to stop and citizens must be evacuated,” Gunness stressed. 

According to the spokesman, 94 people have so far have been evacuated from the camp, but about 18,000 remain. The refugee camp once housed around 160,000 people. 

The head of UNRWA, Pierre Krahenbuhl, briefed the UN Security Council about the “desperate” situation in Yarmouk on Monday night. In response, the council demanded access to provide humanitarian aid to the thousands of refugees trapped in the camp. 

The 15-member council called “for the protection of civilians in the camp for ensuring a humanitarian access to the area including by providing life-saving assistance,” said Jordan’s Ambassador Dina Kawar, who chairs the council this month.

The council also demanded safe passage for the evacuation of civilians and said it is ready to consider “further measures to provide necessary assistance.”

AFP contributed to this report. 

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