Action Group | Syria
In a rare move, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) distributed food parcels to dozens of displaced Palestinian families in the town of Atmeh, in the Idlib countryside of northwestern Syria, on Sunday, 19 May 2025.
This step marks the first of its kind since UNRWA ceased its operations in the area in 2018, citing “inaccessibility” following the region’s shift out of Syrian regime control.
While the delivery of aid is a positive development, distribution was limited to the towns of Atmeh, Killi, and Aqrabat, without any formal announcement from UNRWA regarding plans to expand assistance to the broader northern region, which hosts thousands of Palestinian refugees. This geographical limitation has raised questions about the agency’s criteria for aid distribution and its seriousness in addressing the needs of displaced Palestinians in these territories.
This development follows UNRWA’s decision in December 2024 to reopen registration for Palestinians in northern Syria after the fall of the former Syrian regime””an apparent political shift that may have prompted the agency to reconsider providing aid to areas it had previously deemed “inaccessible.”
In March of this year, UNRWA also provided financial assistance for the first time since 2018, though it was limited to Palestinian refugees originating from Aleppo. This selective aid sparked frustration among those displaced from other Syrian provinces, many of whom had updated their data with UNRWA but were excluded from beneficiary lists.
Palestinian refugees in northern Syria are now calling on UNRWA to clarify the criteria for selecting aid recipients and to broaden the scope of distribution to include all areas hosting Palestinian refugees. They emphasize the need for transparency and fairness in aid provision, and reject policies that perpetuate marginalization and exclusion.
If UNRWA truly intends to correct course and acknowledge its responsibilities toward all Palestinian refugees, symbolic gestures alone will not suffice. A clear, comprehensive, and transparent plan is needed to reintegrate northern Syria’s refugees into its relief framework after years of neglect.
Amid worsening humanitarian conditions, an urgent and responsible response is required from both UNRWA and the international community to uphold the rights of Palestinian refugees in northern Syria and ensure they receive the support necessary to live in dignity and security.