GAZA CITY

Head of the Refugees Department in Gaza's Foreign Ministry Youssef al-Modallal urged the international community to immediately intervene to break a siege by the Syrian regime forces on the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus.

"The Yarmouk camp is suffering severe shortages in food and medication, which led to the deaths of many Palestinian refugees," al-Modallal told a press conference Sunday.

He went on to add that the Gaza government had attempted to contact the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation to push for a quick end on the ongoing blockade on the camp.

According to the Action Group for the Palestinians of Syria, around 41 Palestinians starved to death inside the camp besieged by President Bashar al-Assad's forces for 172 days thus far.

The group lamented that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) is no longer able to deliver aid to the residents of the camp since last September.

by Mohamed Maged

englishnews@aa.com.tr