Page 83 - A Helping Hand for Refugees

Palestinians live in difficult conditions, not just in Gaza, but also
in refugee camps in neighboring countries. About 18,000 Palestinians
are struggling to survive in Syria's Yarmouk camp, due to widespread
hunger as a result of a year-long siege. It is impossible to forget the
images of people who starved to death in Yarmouk.

Palestinians who fled the Arab-Israeli wars over the past six
decades sought refuge in other countries, including Syria, Jordan and
Lebanon. Numerous diseases have spread inside camps due to unsan-

itary conditions. It is becoming harder to treat the injured. Almost 2
million people are internally displaced in Gaza and the West Bank. The
total number of Palestinian refugees is nearly 5 million. This is approx-
imately the same as the population of Palestine. 6

In Iraq, Christians, Turkmen, Shiites and Yazidis fleeing attacks
by the Islamic State now represent a new wave of refugees. Children
are the worst affected by the harsh conditions.

Syrian refugees are also faced with a humanitarian catastrophe.
According to the United Nations, over 191,000 people have been killed
and several hundred thousand injured. In total, there are approximately
9.5 million internally displaced persons (IDP) and refugees — 6.5 mil-
lion within Syria and 3 million in neighboring countries. It is totally
unbecoming of any Muslim to turn a blind eye to these facts, be
unwilling to assist and fail to help find long-lasting and deep-rooted

solutions. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports
that because of climate conditions and high food prices, 33 countries,
26 of which are in Africa, require external food aid. According to the
FAO, 870,000 people are in need of food aid in Somalia, 3.5 million in
South Sudan and 5 million in Sudan. 7

Adnan Oktar (Harun Yahya) 81