Dozens of Syrian families are preparing to leave Al-Hol Camp, located in the countryside of Al-Hassakeh, northeastern Syria. The camp, which houses tens of thousands of displaced people and refugees, has long been a focal point of humanitarian and security concerns.
According to a source inside Al-Hol, 75 Syrian families from Deir ez-Zor province are set to leave the camp by the end of next week. The camp administration has already begun documenting, registering, and photographing family members who have expressed their desire to return to their hometowns in Deir ez-Zor.
A Renewed Plan for Gradual Evacuations
At the end of January 2025, the Al-Hol administration announced a plan to gradually evacuate Syrian families from the camp in batches.
Commenting on this initiative, Sheikhmus Ahmed, head of the Office of Refugee and Displaced Affairs in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), told 963+ that the decision had been made earlier but was recently reaffirmed by the administration.
“As part of this process, specialized offices have been established to register families wishing to leave,” Ahmed explained. “Families will be categorized based on their destination, and each group will depart separately, ensuring an organized and streamlined evacuation process.”
Current Population and Previous Departures
According to Al-Hol camp director Jehan Hanan, the camp currently shelters 15,000 Syrians, with the remaining residents being foreign nationals. She noted that most Syrians in the camp come from Idlib, Hama, Homs, Aleppo, and Damascus, while fewer residents originate from northeastern Syria, as many families from this region have already been repatriated in previous departures.
Meanwhile, on February 9, 2025, a group of 155 Iraqi families, comprising 569 individuals, left Al-Hol Camp and were transferred to Iraq. A delegation from the Iraqi government coordinated with the Autonomous Administration to receive them at the Syrian-Iraqi border.
The Autonomous Administration’s official website reported that this was the fourth group of Iraqis repatriated this year, following three previous evacuations conducted in coordination with the Iraqi government.
A Step Toward Reducing the Camp’s Population
The recent efforts to evacuate families from Al-Hol Camp come amid ongoing discussions about security risks and humanitarian conditions in the facility. Authorities hope that the systematic repatriation of Syrians and Iraqis will ease the burden on the camp and contribute to stability and reintegration efforts in their home regions.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
