Battle of Yarmouk Camp (2015)

The Battle of Yarmouk Camp (2015) is a battle that broke out in April 2015, during the Syrian Civil War, when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant stormed the rebel-held Yarmouk Camp. The Yarmouk Camp is a district of Damascus that is home to the largest community of Palestinian refugees in Syria.

Background
On 17 December 2012, the Free Syrian Army and anti-government Palestinians took control of the camp. After subsequent heavy fighting, the FSA and the Syrian Army agreed to leave Yarmouk as a neutral, demilitarized zone, but the camp remained besieged and sporadic clashes continued. Syrian government forces besieged Yarmouk for two years, and as a result, approximately 200 people were believed to have died of hunger in 2014.

ISIL storms the camp
On 1 April, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants entered the Yarmouk refugees camp from the Hajar Al-Aswad district, but were expelled the next day by Syrian and Palestinian rebels. However, ISIL re-entered the camp on 4 April and took control of 90% of it.

On 5 April, Jaysh al-Islam claimed that its fighters were refused access to the camp by al-Nusra Front and that al-Nusra allowed ISIL to enter the camp, which led to some defections from the first party. The al-Nusra Front responded by defending its neutral stance in the conflict and claimed to have mediated a ceasefire. It also denied rumors about the alleged defections. Meanwhile, the Army bombed the camp with 13 barrel bombs. A commander in the Aknaf Bait al-Maqdis was killed during clashes with ISIL.

On 6 April, it was reported that about 2,000 people were evacuated from the camp since ISIL's attack. The same day, pro-government Palestinian groups led by the Palestine Liberation Army, PFLP-GC and Fatah al-Intifada launched an assault against ISIL. They reportedly captured Morocco Street, Al-Ja’ounah Street and the Martyrs Cemetery and claimed to have killed 36 ISIL militant and controlled 40% of the Yarmouk camp.

On 7 April, the fighting had ceased, with ISIL in control of 95% of the camp.

Rebel counterattack
On 12 April, Jaysh al-Islam and allied forces launched a counterattack on the ISIL-held Hajar al-Aswad district and reportedly advanced. Jaysh al-Islam also recaptured Al-Zein street in Yarmouk Camp from ISIL, during a nighttime operation.

By 16 April, ISIL and al-Nusra were still holding 80% of the Yarmouk Camp, after clashes with Aknaf Bait al-Maqdis and other rebels. The next day, fighting between the rebels and ISIL expanded to the neighborhoods of al-Qaboun and Barzah. The rebels captured 9 ISIL militants and killed 12 others. Jaysh al-Islam and 1st Brigade announced that they pushed ISIL out of the neighborhoods.

Foreign reaction

 * – State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf condemned ISIL's attack on the Yarmouk refugees camp.
 * – The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also condemned ISIL's attack and called for "an immediate end to the fighting in order to preserve the lives of civilians… and reiterates Egypt’s solidarity with our Palestinian brotherly-people."
 * - The UN Security Council demanded humanitarian aid access to the camp "for the protection of civilians".