Yarmouk camp fighting ( December 2012 ) In December 2012 , during the Syrian civil war , there was fierce fighting in Yarmouk Camp . Yarmouk is a district of Damascus that is home to the biggest community of Palestnian refugees in Syria . The fighting was between the pro - Assad Syrian Army and PFLP - GC on one side , and Syrian rebels on the other . The rebels included the Free Syrian Army ( FSA ) and a group made up of Palestinians , called Liwa al - Asifa or Storm Brigade . On 17 December , it was reported that the FSA and anti - Assad Palestinians had taken control of the camp . The FSA and Syrian Army agreed to leave Yarmouk as a neutral , demilitarized zone , but sporadic clashes continued . Background . At the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011 , the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command ( PFLP - GC ) was based in Yarmouk and supported Syria ' s Ba ' ath Party government led by the Al - Assad family . At the beginning of the war , tensions arose in Yarmouk between the PFLP - GC and anti - Assad Palestinian residents . On 5 June 2011 , a number of Yarmouk residents were shot dead while protesting at the Israeli border . Allegedly angered by the PFLP - GC ' s refusal to take part in the protests , thousands of mourners burnt - down its headquarters in Yarmouk . PFLP - GC members opened - fire on the crowd , killing 14 Palestinians and wounding 43 . On 3 August 2012 , Al Arabiya reported that over 21 civilians were killed when the Syrian Army shelled Yarmouk . Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Syrian Army for shelling the camp and chided the PFLP - GC for dragging Palestinians into the conflict . On 31 October , the FSA announced that they had helped form a brigade made up of anti - Assad Palestinians , called Liwa al - Asifa ( Storm Brigade ) , who have been armed to take control of Yarmouk . The PFLP - GC leader Ahmed Jibril and his men were accused of harassing Yarmouk ' s residents and attacking FSA fighters . Many Palestinan men from the camp also joined other FSA units and fought with them in the Damascus districts of Tadamon and Al - Hajar Al - Aswad . December clashes . Fierce fighting in Yarmouk began on 5 December 2012 and lasted until 17 December . The fighting mainly involved the FSA ( along with the Liwa al - Asifa brigade ) fighting against the PLFP - GC . On 16 December , Syrian Army jets bombed Yarmouk , for the first time since the civil war began . Activists reported that a school and mosque sheltering refugees were hit . It was reported that at least 23 were killed , all civilians . About 1 , 000 Palestinians reached Lebanon less than 48 hours after the bombing . The new arrivals said they were now openly hostile towards the Syrian government that had long portrayed itself as the protector of Palestinians in Syria . Iran ' s Fars News said that " terrorist " rebels had entered Yarmouk and shot dead " dozens of Palestinians and Syrian civilians " . On 17 December , it was claimed that many PFLP - GC fighters defected to the rebels . One PFLP - GC commander said " I felt that we became soldiers for the Assad regime , not guards for the camps , so I decided to defect " . He claimed that government forces stood by and watched as the PFLP - GC fought the rebels , without helping the Palestinians . Ahmed Jibril reportedly fled Damascus for the Mediterranean city of Tartous . PFLP - GC political bureau member Hussam Arafat , however , announced that Jibril was still in Damascus and that only a small number of fighters had defected . That day , rebel forces gained full control of Yarmouk as well as another Palestinian camp , with help from anti - Assad Palestinians , pushing out the pro - government PFLP - GC fighters . The pro - government PFLP - GC fighters were reportedly overwhelmed and suffered great losses as they were unable to evacuate their wounded due to rebel snipers on the roofs . Government forces had surrounded the camp , however , as many refugees fled . On 20 December , the FSA said it had pushed all pro - government fighters out of Yarmouk and handed it back to the Palestinians . The day before , fresh fighting on the outskirts of Yarmouk killed a civilian and four PFLP - GC members . Shortly after , government and rebel representatives agreed that all armed groups should withdraw from Yarmouk and leave it as a neutral zone . The agreement also said that the PFLP - GC should be dismantled and its weapons surrendered . However , a spokesman for the pro - rebel Palestine Refugee Camp Network said , " the implementation of the truce has been problematic " because of " intermittent " government shelling of Yarmouk and clashes on its outskirts . An AFP reporter at Batikha , the main entrance to the camp , reported sporadic shooting on 21 December but no gunmen were seen on the streets of Yarmouk . Aftermath . Fellow Palestinian left - wing groups — including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( PFLP ) , the biggest Palestinian leftist group — berated Jibril and the PFLP - GC . One PFLP official said " Everyone knows the true size of PFLP - GC . They are not representative of the Palestinians " . Another said that Jibril " does not even belong to the Palestinian Left . He is closer to the extremist right - wing groups than to revolutionary leftist ones " . On 18 December , the Palestinian National Council ( PNC ) denounced Jibril , saying it would expel him over his role in the conflict . On 25 December there was reportedly fighting in or around Yarmouk between rebels and the pro - government Jaysh al - Sha ' bi ( or Popular Committees ) . On 28 December , Iranian Press TV reported further clashes in Yarmouk . The UNRWA reported that 12 people were killed and 20 wounded during fighting in Yarmouk on 17 January 2013 .