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The shattered walls and artillery-scarred pockmarks of Abdul Qader al-Husseini Mosque in Damascus’s Yarmouk Camp stand as solemn reminders of the day a regime MiG fighter jet .

Even now, 13 years since the attack, the mosque and nearby buildings, including a school, are almost frozen in time as monuments to the devastation.

For many residents of the camp, the attack marked a turning point: a second exodus that echoed the displacement of their ancestors in 1948.

The Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, established in 1957 in a bustling southern suburb of Damascus, was once to around 160,000 people, predominantly Palestinian refugees expelled from their homes in northern Mandatory Palestine in 1948.

In the aftermath of the Syrian revolution, tensions rose in Yarmouk as intense clashes and heavy bombardment between vying factions devastated the camp, causing mass displacement and civilian casualties.

Leading up to the Syrian revolution, life in the camp remained "normal," as it had always been for its residents. Once peaceful protests escalated into armed conflict, the camp became a refuge for displaced families from neighbouring areas such as Tadamon and Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, according to Othman Abu Khalifa, a long-time resident of the camp who endured the harrowing years of siege.

Any semblance of normalcy was shattered with the Syrian regime airstrike in 2012. Abu Khalifa said that the Syrian regime used the presence of these displaced families as a pretext, labelling them “terrorists” to justify the attack. 

"December 16, 2012, marked a turning point for Yarmouk," recalled Abu Khalifa. "That was the day the mosque and other buildings were hit, changing everything."

He described the scale of the tragedy as “unimaginable,” with so many dead and wounded that it took the survivors four hours to retrieve bodies from the rubble.

“Some victims were buried on the spot because their remains were in pieces,” he said.

Sally Obeid, a journalist affiliated with the Fatah movement and a former resident of Yarmouk, describes the terror that engulfed the camp that day.

“People were fleeing in panic, spreading out to areas like Zahira and other parts of Damascus, or to Palestinian camps in other provinces,” she said. “It was like another Nakba,” referring to the Palestinian exodus of 1948. 

The exodus was not just driven by the bombing itself. Rumours swirled that the regime’s army planned to return, this time with tanks.

“Families walked for hours, not knowing where to go, with no transportation available,” she added. “It wasn’t just the strike. It was the fear of what might come next.”

By mid-2013, the regime’s grip tightened as security checkpoints multiplied and informants roamed freely, making even everyday activities dangerous. Then came the : all exits and entrances to the camp were sealed, turning Yarmouk into an “open prison” according to its residents.

The Assad regime’s siege had Yarmouk’s population to 18,000, leaving residents trapped without access to food, water, or medical supplies, plunging thousands into severe hunger and deprivation.

“Yarmouk is one of the few places where people literally died of hunger,” ِAbu Khalifa told ������. “We washed the dead before burials, and most were mere skeletons.” 

Bread and meat disappeared first, followed by any remaining staples. Obeid recalled stories of residents grinding lentils to make flour and scavenging abandoned homes for anything edible.

“By the end, we were surviving on spiced water,” she said. 

The regime eventually allowed some aid deliveries, but even these came at a price. Ahmed al-Oudeh, another resident, recalled that many were killed trying to retrieve aid boxes. 

“We called them ‘martyrs of the box,’” he said. “The regime also used snipers to target people gathering food, claiming it was ‘crossfire.’”

In 2015, extremist groups , displacing thousands more residents and halting aid deliveries. By 2018, the camp faced its "final" and "most brutal chapter," according to Obeid.

The Syrian army, backed by Russian airstrikes, launched a major offensive to the area, relentlessly bombing Yarmouk for over three days, reducing much of it to rubble. Residents said that the level of destruction was “unprecedented,” surpassing even the devastation caused during the siege.

“Entire families were buried under the wreckage,” al-Oudeh said. “We couldn’t save them.” 

Both Abu Khalifa and Obeid confirm that while the siege caused immense suffering, the sheer scale of destruction came during those three days of bombing.

Following the military campaign, the Syrian government declared victory, and the extremist groups withdrew from the camp, relocating to Idlib.

Returning to ruins

According to Tahseen Halabi, deputy secretary of the Palestinian Writers Union, the camp emerged after 1948 when waves of refugees arrived in Syria. Initially housed in tents, they were eventually granted land to build homes, forming what would become Yarmouk.

“By 1964, life in the camp had stabilised,” Halabi explained. “It was centred around basic needs like education, healthcare, and trade. But that changed with the Jerusalem Summit, when the decision was made to enlist Palestinians in the Palestine Liberation Army,” he added.

“Yarmouk was a place of dreams for Palestinians,” Halabi said. “It was where they trained for liberation, where they learned the names of their villages and towns in Palestine, which adorned the camp’s alleys. Now, those dreams lie buried under rubble, but the spirit of Yarmouk endures.”

Outside of its history of resistance, Yarmouk thrived as a vibrant commercial hub. Its proximity to Damascus’s Midan neighbourhood drew Syrian traders, while its bustling markets earned comparisons to Beirut’s Hamra Street. In 2018, however, an estimated 60 per cent of the camp's buildings were damaged or completely destroyed, according to the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS).

After the opposition’s departure, some residents attempted to return, but obstacles remained.

“When we decided to go back, the checkpoints were still in place,” Obeid said. “We had to sneak in through side streets in Tadamon. We couldn’t even recognise the place. Everything was destroyed.”

Gradually, people began rebuilding their lives, but the process was arduous. Entry required complex security approvals, and reconstruction was slow. 

Today, following the fall of Assad’s regime, the camp is beginning to return to its pre-revolution era. 

Residents of Yarmouk Camp who spoke to ������ expressed “no fears”. On the contrary, there is a clear sense of optimism. Many are now able to enter the camp, clean the streets, and begin restoring their homes. However, concerns persist among those affiliated with Palestinian factions, as uncertainty looms over their future roles. 

This unease has been amplified following statements by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the head of HTS and de facto Syrian leader, who announced plans to dissolve all armed factions, leaving no room for weapons outside the Syrian army's control.

Al-Oudeh noted that this issue “deeply worries many camp residents,” as a significant number work as civilians or military personnel within these factions and are unsure whether they will retain their positions or need to find new livelihoods.

At the same time, Obeid highlighted the challenges posed by the destruction of homes, as many buildings require demolition and reconstruction, a costly process beyond the means of most residents.

“At least we’re free from the burden of security approvals now,” she noted.

This article is published in collaboration with .