Buildings damaged after shelling near Deraa
Buildings damaged after shelling near DeraaReuters

Two Hamas leaders were killed by the Syrian army on Saturday, Palestinian Authority sources told Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency.

The two, Ahmad Khalil Khalil and Ahmad al-Kharoubi, were shot by Syrian soldiers in an area in Deraa which serves as a camp for people registered as Palestinian refugees.

The bodies lay in the street for several hours before ambulances were able to reach the area, Ma’an reported.

Earlier this month, Assad's forces bombed the Deraa camp, killing at least 20 people and injuring dozens more. Sources in the Deraa camp told Ma’an that artillery shells and mortars targeted several streets near the area's mosque.

In August, the fighting between Assad’s forces and rebels hit Al-Yarmouk, a Damascus neighborhood that serves as an unofficial camp for roughly 150,000 people registered as Palestinian refugees.

At least 21 people were killed in the camp as Syrian troops used heavy fire to beat back rebels.

The number of registered Palestinian refugees who were killed in the internal conflict in Syria was estimated at around 400 in August. Ma’an noted that this figure is estimated to have significantly increased in recent months.

Most people in Syria who are considered Palestinian refugees are Syrian-born, but are not considered Syrian, and do not have political rights. Their situation is better than that of refugees in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, where refugees have limited work options and are refused citizenship.

Meanwhile, fighting raged across Syria on Saturday, after a ceasefire declared for the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday collapsed. At least 221 people have been killed since the ceasefire was due to take effect on Friday.