ROME, December 17, 2012 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas denounced on Sunday the killing of Palestinian refugees in Syria and called on the warring parties to avoid dragging the refugees into their internal conflict.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugee (UNRWA) has also denounced in a statement issued on Sunday the shelling of Yarmouk refugee camp that caused the death of more than two dozen Palestinians.

Abbas said from Rome that the Palestinian Authority is following the recent events taking place in Syria with deep concern, affirming the necessity of putting an end to this tragic situation.

He called on the international community to immediately intervene to protect the people of Syria and the Palestinian refugees there.

UNRWA also said that it has been following the events of Yarmouk camp with extreme worry.

It said that the camp is in a chaotic state as a result to air strikes that targeted the center of Yarmouk.

It said that the families in the camp are trying to escape on foot as cars and other forms of transportation are not able to move within the camp.

UNRWA warned yet again that if all parties involved in the Syrian armed conflict fail to protect the 525,000 Palestinian refugees and respect their neutrality, the consequences would be devastating and long lasting.

It called for maintaining the neutrality of the Palestinian refugees in Syria and not implicate them in the conflict in the light of the rising number of those killed, injured and compelled to leave.

“The killings in Yarmouk send a clear and unfortunate signal that calls by UNRWA and others on all parties to spare civilians and to respect the neutrality of Palestine refugees are going unheeded,” said the UNRWA statement.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi called on the Syrian authorities, and all parties to the conflict, to protect the Palestinian refugees wherever they reside in Syria.

M.H./M.S.