Senior Hamas Leader Killed İn Syria's Yarmouk Camp

A senior Hamas leader was killed in Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp, the Palestinian group said Monday.



"Hamas mourns martyr Yehia Hawrani, who was assassinated Monday in Palestine Hospital in the Yarmouk refugee camp," Hamas said in a statement.



According to the statement, Hawrani was killed "as he was doing his humanitarian duty" at the hospital.



"Hawrani was active in relief and humanitarian efforts," it added.



The Yarmouk refugee camp is the biggest Palestinian camp in Syria.



At least 166 Palestinians starved to death in mid-2013 when Syrian regime forces besieged the camp.



Syria has been ravaged by a deadly civil war since 2011, when the regime of President Bashar al-Assad violently cracked down on anti-government demonstrations.



More than 190,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date, according to recent UN figures.



Prior to the Syrian conflict, Palestinians living in Syria were estimated at some 581,000 – one third of which had been living in the Yarmouk camp, according to UN figures.



However, thousands of Palestinians in Syria have fled to neighboring Lebanon and Jordan, while hundreds of others managed to flee to the Gaza Strip as the conflict between Assad's forces and armed opposition groups raged on.



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