Amid ruins, Palestinian refugees in Syria camp hope to rebuild

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STORY: The al-Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus is a testament to more than a decade of destruction wrought by Syria's civil war.

But after rebels managed to oust President Bashar al-Assad, former residents are eager to finally return, and rebuild their homes.

Wafeeka al-Maidani is resident of al-Yarmouk:

“Yes, it’s all destroyed, there is nothing here at all. No water, no electricity, and no life. It’s very hard to live in the camp.”

Before the Syrian conflict began in 2011, the camp was home to some 160,000 Palestinian refugees, many of whom were displaced by the 1948 war that led to the creation of Israel.

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Residents said they enjoyed relative peace until the civil war broke out.

Rebel fighters holed up in al-Yarmouk, and Syrian government forces hammered the area.

Najwa Swiden said things quickly turned from harmonious to horrible:

"They displaced our sons, came and destroyed us with missiles and rockets until our last breath. Then we were forced to leave. When we left the camp, everyone went to a different place inside Syria, and you couldn’t know anything about your brother until 13 years later. Then, we started to reunite."

Refugees inside the camp now suffer from a lack of basic services like water and electricity.

Adnan al-Rahaal hopes that with Assad gone, rebuilding can begin.

"Even the municipalities are not coming to us as they should. The ruins and debris need to be cleared. We also barely have water. That’s our problem. I hope God eases this for us after the revolution."

A lightning rebel advance swept Assad from power earlier this month, shocking the world and raising the prospect that some of the millions of people who fled the country during its 13-year civil war might return.

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