NEWS QUOTE: Closure of Syria’s Al-Hol camp Leaves Thousands of Children at Risk and Facing Uncertain Futures 

DAMASCUS 19 February 2026 - Thousands of children who grew up in Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria face an uncertain future with the loss of essential protection and support systems with the camp expected to close this week unless urgent action is taken, Save the Children said. 

Al-Hol was home to about 24,000 people earlier this year – more than half of them children – but just under 70% of residents left in recent weeks after an uptick in violence in the region.  It remains unclear how residents left the camp or where many have gone.  

Save the Children has long advocated for the safe repatriation and reintegration of children trapped in Al Hol where conditions are dire, with a lack of food, water, and widespread violence.

Children are among those who have left the camp, with limited independent information available on their safety, whereabouts, and wellbeing.  In addition to the upheaval of leaving the camp, these children are at increased risk of being exploited or separated from their families. According to UNHCR, remaining residents may be transferred to another camp in northern Aleppo province. 

At its peak, Al Hol was home to about 73,000 people, mainly women and children from Syria, Iraqi and about 60 other countries who had been displaced due to the conflict and whose movements were restricted. Many have since been reintegrated or repatriated, but thousands of children have grown up knowing nothing but the camps. 

Rasha Muhrez, Save the Children Syria Country Director, said: 
“Life inside Al-Hol camp since 2019 has been defined by deprivation, violence and fear but for many children, it is the only world they have ever known. Many were born behind barbed wire or arrived as infants, growing up amid chronic food shortages, violence, insecurity and the absence of consistent, quality education. None chose to grow up here, yet it has been the only home they have ever known. Losing that now exposes them to new and serious risks. 

“The emptying of Al-Hol marks the end of a physical site, but not the end of responsibility. Children who’ve left the camp must be supported to be properly reintegrated into society with access to child protection services — whether within Syria or, if repatriated, in their countries of origin.  

“Failure to do so risks creating a generation of children abandoned by systems meant to protect them. That requires schools ready to receive them, communities prepared to protect and welcome them, and viable livelihood opportunities so their families can rebuild stability. For the remaining children still in Al-Hol camp who are being transferred to another camp, authorities must ensure children have access to essential services, ensuring their rights to safety, development and a childhood are fully upheld. 

“Without this support these children are at risk of exploitation, family separation, statelessness and further violence. Wherever they go, whatever systems replace the camp, their rights, safety and wellbeing must remain the priority and not disappear from public view. Every child — regardless of their parents’ actions — has the right to protection, dignity and a genuine chance at a future. These children are victims of conflict and should not be made to pay by being deprived of basic rights and their childhoods, The best interests of the child must remain at the centre of every decision taken by authorities and the international community. Because childhood cannot be paused and resumed later.” 
 
Now more than ever the international community and all governments involved must focus on the reintegration and repatriation of Syrian and Iraqis and third-country nationals. As part of their reintegration, children must have access to appropriate services and child-friendly psychological and psychosocial support, access to education and livelihood opportunities for older children, and essential documentation such as birth certificates and identification. 
Save the Children provided support services ranging from nutrition, education, and child protection programmes for children and women displaced to Al Hol and nearby Roj camp.    
 

ENDS