Security forces in Syria have detained more than 40 Palestinians during a security campaign carried out in recent days in the Damascus and Damascus countryside governorates, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria.
The group said that the majority were arrested from several Palestinian camps located near the capital. At least 30 people were arrested from the Khan al-Shih camp, southwest of Damascus, two from the Jaramana camp, and four from the al-Huseiniyeh camp.
Others were apprehended from the Rukneddine neighbourhood of Damascus, and from the village of al-Hamah in the Damascus countryside.
The Action Group for Palestinians NGO said that the majority were detained from their homes, while others were detained while on their way to work, before being taken to unknown locations.
Fayez Abu Eid, the NGO's director, told The New Arab that no clear reasons have been given for the arrests, while the Syrian Ministry of Interior has yet to provide an official statement or explanation on the matter.
Abu Eid, however, said that through monitoring the arrests and testimonies from residents, several possible reasons for the arrests have surfaced, including affiliations with the Islamic State group or remnants of the Bashar al-Assad regime, or reasons related to the attack on the UAE embassy in Damascus , which took place earlier this month.
The attack was related to anger over the newly-approved death penalty law in Israel, applied only to Palestinians charged with "terror offences," which saw scores protest outside the Emirati embassy.
The UAE normalised ties with Israel through the controversial Abram Accords in 2020.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior had already arrested two individuals in relation to the attack on the UAE embassy, indicating that necessary legal measures were already taken against those involved.
Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Nour al-Din al-Baba accused those involved in storming the UAE embassy in Damascus a few days ago of having ties to the former Syrian regime .
Action Group for Palestinians also said that Syria’s Internal Security Forces released a number of residents of the Khan al-Shih camp who had been arrested earlier, following investigations. Several others still remain in detention pending investigation.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Syrians Initiative for Popular Oversight – Observatory, an NGO focused on Palestinian refugees in Syria, said on Facebook that the lack of official information and the continued detention of several men are causing concern and raising questions within the refugee camp .
There are approximately 450,000 Palestinian refugees residing in Syria, who are the descendants of Palestinians who fled their country in 1948 following the establishment of the State of Israel and their expulsion from their land.