Khaberni - In a scene reflecting the residents' determination to bring life back to the most affected areas in the Syrian capital, thousands of families have returned to Yarmouk Camp in southern Damascus, despite the poor basic services and lack of water.
Yarmouk Camp, which was established in 1957 to shelter thousands of Palestinian refugees before it turned into a small city housing more than 100,000 people before 2011, spans an area of 2.1 square kilometers.
The camp is among the most damaged areas during the years of the Syrian war, with about 20% of its buildings completely destroyed, and another 20% partially damaged, as a result of bombing by Syrian regime forces in past years.
According to camp officials, most of the remaining houses were looted by forces of the deposed president Bashar al-Assad's regime. To date, about 7,500 families have returned to the camp after years of forced displacement or fleeing to preserve their lives.
With the fall of Assad's regime on December 8, 2024, many families have gradually begun returning to try to rebuild their lives, despite the lack of basic services such as electricity and water, and the risks posed by living in homes at risk of collapse.
"A New Beginning After the Dispersion"
Citizen Aziz Al-Din Ahmad Asmar, a resident of the camp, recounts the details of his return after his displacement in 2015 to Al-Nabk area fleeing from the war.
Asmar says, "I lost many relatives and neighbors in the bombing, and my return today is a new beginning after years of dispersion."
Asmar, who opened a small vegetable shop in a partially damaged building to secure his daily sustenance, describes the camp before the war as "a place that never slept."
He added, "God willing, we will repair our homes, and people will return to their homes and loved ones. No one can be happy away from their home."
With their limited means, the residents are making efforts to repair their homes and rehabilitate the water and electricity networks, amid fears of collapsing dilapidated buildings and a severe shortage of basic building materials.
It is worth mentioning that Yarmouk Camp was considered the largest Palestinian gathering outside Palestine before the outbreak of the Syrian war, and during the years of the war, it became a symbol of destruction and suffering, amid renewed hopes today that the area may recover some of its former life.
