The Syrian regime is being accused of using starvation tactics as a weapon of war. A new report by Amnesty International says the situation is at its most dire at Yarmouk refugee camp where 128 people have been killed by being cut-off from aid agencies.
It says tens of thousands still trapped there face a "catastrophic humanitarian crisis". Amnesty says families have been forced to forage for food in the streets where they run the risk of being killed by snipers.
The report finds that from December 2012 to February 2013, the Syrian army at Yarmouk checkpoints permitted fewer and fewer individuals to bring in "even the smallest amounts of food, such as vegetables, that had occasionally been allowed".
"Those who tried to bring in food and medicine also put their lives at risk" it says.
From July 2013, Syrian government forces prevented all food, medicines and other supplies from entering Yarmouk, exposing the area's remaining inhabitants to hardship and serious risk.
The Yarmouk camp - listed by UNRWA as an 'unofficial camp - is home to the largest Palestine refugee community in Syria
"Since the area was sealed, the inhabitants have faced an increasingly difficult struggle to survive. Rampant malnutrition has led to scores of reported deaths from starvation as well as widespread illness, with the sick, the elderly, young children and pregnant women at highest risk" the report adds.
It gives an example of Ghassan Shihabi, who tried to drive into Yarmouk with his children with bread to give to other families on January 12th. The document says that when he arrived at a Syrian army checkpoint outside, Air Force Intelligence officers at first prevented him from proceeding before he was cleared to do so.
His widow told Amnesty International that when he then drove forward, he was shot dead by a government sniper.
Spiraling costs of remaining food
Even with some food stuffs left, Amnesty says these are now being priced out of reach for many people.
All that could be obtained in the Yarmouk market, one resident told Amnesty International in February 2014, were "spices and a kind of green starch that can be fried and eaten".
It says that by late 2013, a kilogram of rice cost between 10,000 and 15,000 Syrian pounds (€50 to €71). One woman told Amnesty International that her brother had sold packs of cigarettes for the equivalent of US$40-50 (€28-€35) each, then used the money "to buy dry foods that last, such as rice and lentils".
A young boy inside Yarmouk has some food
It says residents have survived scouring the area for anything that might be edible - including cactus leaves, dandelion leaves and other plants.
But venturing out for food can also be deadly, with Amnesty saying that many "expose themselves to government snipers while searching for food".
It cites the case of a boy aged 16 or 17 whose body was brought in to hospital after he had been shot dead while collecting leaves to eat.
Yarmouk residents
The report says that while some recent food deliveries have got into the camp and prices have gone down by about 30%, they do not reach the markets and are instead sold on the informal market.
Resort to eating cats & dogs
Other residents told Amnesty International that they have had no fruit or vegetables to eat for many months. It says some have killed and eaten cats and dogs, while others have resorted to drinking dog milk.
The report concludes that the Syrian government has committed "numerous war crimes as part of the siege of Yarmouk".
It finds that hundreds of civilian residents have been killed, wounded or have died as a result of "deliberate starvation and destruction of their means of support, direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks".
It adds that the siege of Yarmouk has been "particularly vicious and long-lasting", and is calling for the immediate end the armed siege of Yarmouk and to allow
unfettered access by independent humanitarian agencies to civilians".
