The civil war in Syria is not only affecting its civilians but also the Palestinian refugees living in exile there, and the situation is deteriorating, the head of a United Nations agency supporting the refugees said during a recent visit to Japan.
Filippo Grandi, commissioner general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), was in Tokyo from Aug. 8 to discuss the situation facing the Palestinian refugees in Syria as well as other parts of the Middle East and to seek financial support for the agency, which is short of funds.
What is happening in Syria is one example of the continuing precarious status of the 5 million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip supported by UNRWA.