3,613 Palestinians killed in Syria since 2011: NGO

By Kubra Chohan

ANKARA (AA) – A total of 3,613 Palestinians have been killed in Syria since the outbreak of the country’s civil war in 2011, according to a London-based NGO.

In a statement released Thursday, the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS) said 463 women were among the victims.

The group said more than 1,642 Palestinian refugees, including 105 women, remain in detention by the Syrian regime authorities.

According to the NGO, some 204 Palestinian refugees died due to the lack of nutrition and medical care.

Approximately 85,000 Palestinian refugees fled Syria to Europe by the end of 2016, the group said.

According to UN estimates, around 450,000 Palestinian refugees still live in war-torn Syria.

Established in 2012, AGPS is a human rights watchdog that monitors the situation of Palestinian refugees in war-torn Syria.

The country fell into a devastating civil war in 2011 when the Assad al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting and more than 10 million displaced, according to the UN.