Published : 16-12-2025
Action Group - Damascus
Today, December 16, 2025, marks the thirteenth anniversary of what has become known among Palestinian refugees in Syria as the “MiG Massacre” or the “Abdul Qader al-Husseini Mosque Massacre,” one of the bloodiest crimes targeting Palestinian civilians during the Syrian conflict.
On this day in 2012, Syrian warplanes launched airstrikes on the Abdul Qader al-Husseini Mosque in the Yarmouk camp south of Damascus, which at the time was sheltering hundreds of displaced families fleeing the bombardment of neighboring areas.
These airstrikes resulted in dozens of casualties and injuries, mostly among children and women, in a scene that deeply traumatized the collective consciousness of the camp's residents.
The massacre was not an isolated event, but rather represented a pivotal turning point in the tragedy of Yarmouk camp, as it was followed by a massive wave of forced displacement, the largest in the history of Palestinian camps in Syria. Today, a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, preceded by about six years since the Syrian regime army regained control of the camp, Yarmouk is still almost empty of its residents, and is witnessing a timid return due to the lack of services.
In the years following the MiG massacre, the camp was subjected to a tight siege imposed by the Syrian regime army and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) groups. This led to the complete shutdown of hospitals and vital facilities, the depletion of most food supplies, and the deaths of 201 Palestinian refugees due to starvation and lack of medical care. This brought the total number of Palestinian refugee victims in Yarmouk camp alone to 1,444.
The camp also witnessed another chapter of suffering with the takeover by ISIS in early April 2015, accompanied by grave violations and serious attacks against civilians, which deepened their tragedy and further restricted what little remained of life within the camp.
The military operation that ended with the Syrian regime army regaining control of the camp on May 21, 2018, did not end the suffering of its residents. Instead, it resulted in widespread destruction affecting more than 80% of the camp's facilities, homes, and property, making a safe return virtually impossible to this day.
On the thirteenth anniversary of the massacre, and a year after the fall of the regime under whose rule these crimes were committed, the residents of Yarmouk camp continue to suffer its political, humanitarian, and social consequences. Meanwhile, official promises to revive the camp persist, but these promises are limited to reconstruction, infrastructure rehabilitation, the provision of basic services, and guaranteeing the residents' right to a dignified and safe return.
Commemorating the MiG massacre is not merely about remembering the victims; it reaffirms that what happened in Yarmouk camp was a crime against civilians and an open wound in the collective Palestinian-Syrian memory, demanding truth, accountability, and justice, not oblivion or postponement.
Action Group - Damascus
Today, December 16, 2025, marks the thirteenth anniversary of what has become known among Palestinian refugees in Syria as the “MiG Massacre” or the “Abdul Qader al-Husseini Mosque Massacre,” one of the bloodiest crimes targeting Palestinian civilians during the Syrian conflict.
On this day in 2012, Syrian warplanes launched airstrikes on the Abdul Qader al-Husseini Mosque in the Yarmouk camp south of Damascus, which at the time was sheltering hundreds of displaced families fleeing the bombardment of neighboring areas.
These airstrikes resulted in dozens of casualties and injuries, mostly among children and women, in a scene that deeply traumatized the collective consciousness of the camp's residents.
The massacre was not an isolated event, but rather represented a pivotal turning point in the tragedy of Yarmouk camp, as it was followed by a massive wave of forced displacement, the largest in the history of Palestinian camps in Syria. Today, a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, preceded by about six years since the Syrian regime army regained control of the camp, Yarmouk is still almost empty of its residents, and is witnessing a timid return due to the lack of services.
In the years following the MiG massacre, the camp was subjected to a tight siege imposed by the Syrian regime army and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) groups. This led to the complete shutdown of hospitals and vital facilities, the depletion of most food supplies, and the deaths of 201 Palestinian refugees due to starvation and lack of medical care. This brought the total number of Palestinian refugee victims in Yarmouk camp alone to 1,444.
The camp also witnessed another chapter of suffering with the takeover by ISIS in early April 2015, accompanied by grave violations and serious attacks against civilians, which deepened their tragedy and further restricted what little remained of life within the camp.
The military operation that ended with the Syrian regime army regaining control of the camp on May 21, 2018, did not end the suffering of its residents. Instead, it resulted in widespread destruction affecting more than 80% of the camp's facilities, homes, and property, making a safe return virtually impossible to this day.
On the thirteenth anniversary of the massacre, and a year after the fall of the regime under whose rule these crimes were committed, the residents of Yarmouk camp continue to suffer its political, humanitarian, and social consequences. Meanwhile, official promises to revive the camp persist, but these promises are limited to reconstruction, infrastructure rehabilitation, the provision of basic services, and guaranteeing the residents' right to a dignified and safe return.
Commemorating the MiG massacre is not merely about remembering the victims; it reaffirms that what happened in Yarmouk camp was a crime against civilians and an open wound in the collective Palestinian-Syrian memory, demanding truth, accountability, and justice, not oblivion or postponement.
