[JURIST] The UN announced on Saturday that the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) [official website] will make an urgent trip [press release] to Yarmouk, a Syrian refugee camp that has fallen under control of the Islamic State (IS). According to UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness, the visit is prompted by the organization’s “deepening concerns for the safety and protection of some 18,000 Palestinian and Syrian civilians, including 3,500 children, as Yarmouk remains under the control of armed groups, and as civilian lives continue to be threatened by the effects of the armed conflict in the area.” Commissioner General Pierre Krähenbühl will meet with the Syrian government “to exchange views on peaceful approaches to addressing the humanitarian consequences of the situation in Yarmouk. He will also consult with other UN members to address peaceful resolutions to the conflict. The UNRWA reports that refugees’ access to food, water, and medication has been cut off since militants from the Islamic State took control on April 1st. UN workers have been unable to deliver humanitarian aid and supplies to the camp. Residents of Yarmouk are reportedly surviving on only 400 calories [NYT report] a day, and are short on medical care.

The Islamic State [JURIST backgrounder] has caused increasing international alarm over its human rights abuses [JURIST report] since its insurgence into Syria and Iraq in 2013. Last month the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] reported that the actions of IS in Iraq may amount to genocide [JURIST report], crimes against humanity and war crimes. Also in March the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the OHCHR jointly released [JURIST report] a report detailing violations against Iraqi civilians under the spread of IS. Bensouda stated in November that the ICC was contemplating bringing war crimes charges against IS jihadist fighters, but said last week that her office lacks jurisdiction [JURIST report] to open a formal investigation into the group. In February IS led suicide bombings in eastern Libya, killing [JURIST report] at least 40 people and injuring 70 more. UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported in December that the IS executed [JURIST report] 1,878 people in Syria between June and December 2014.