Hamas-linked group in Yarmouk to force out ISIL

Palestinian fighters affiliated with the Gaza-based Hamas Islamic resistance movement have engaged in the battle to force the ISIL Takfiri terrorists from the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, a report says.

The development was announced Sunday by an official in the support network for the Palestinian refugee camps in Syria, Ayman Abu Hashem, who added that the fighters belonged to the Aknaf Bayt al-Maqdes group and got engaged in the fighting despite a decision by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)-affiliated factions to remain “neutral” in the battle over the war-ravaged refugee camp, Ma’an News Agency reported.

According to Abu Hashem, the group was once among the largest armed factions in the Yarmouk camp before becoming weakened in recent weeks.

The report further cited Farouk al-Rifai, a spokesman for the Palestinian civil society network in Syria, as saying that the Hamas-linked fighters were joining a group of civilians in the refugee camp in defending the territory.

He further elaborated that there were 1,500 ISIL terrorists stationed near Yarmouk while surrounded by Syrian army troops before they received reinforcements and 700 of the militants managed to intrude into the camp.

Both Abu Hashem and al-Rifai also stated that they had documented three beheadings in the refugee camp, while three others were executed by gunfire. They added that 70 more Palestinian refugees were detained by the Takfiri terrorists for opposing the ISIL.

Residents of Yarmouk Refugee Camp wait to receive relief parcels amid the ruins of their neighborhood caused by foreign-backed Takfiri terrorist groups. (©AFP)

The development came as Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) official Anwar Abdul Hadi announced on Sunday that nearly 2,000 people were evacuated from the refugee camp on Friday and Saturday.

According to Abdul Hadi, Syrian government troops had assisted in the evacuation of the residents of the camp as Palestinian forces continued the battle to hold off the Takfiri ISIL elements, who have captured large sections of the refugee camp since last Wednesday.

Yarmouk, once hosting tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees as well as Syrians, has turned into a ghost town as a result of the violent attacks by anti-government militants over the past four years of turmoil in Syria.