( CNN ) Even in the horror of Syria 's civil war , there are few places that showcase the scale of the destruction -- and the senselessness of the loss of life -- more than the Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of Damascus . Set up as a refugee camp for Palestinians in the 1950s , it slowly evolved into a neighborhood over the years , but since 2012 it has been engulfed in the Syrian conflict . Two weeks ago ISIS fighters stormed Yarmouk , and that made life for those still inside even worse than it was before . The Syrian government responded by unleashing a bombing and shelling campaign on the area , residents told CNN , including barrel bombs that flattened many of the buildings already scarred by the three-year-long conflict . Death comes day and night . `` I looked up and saw dust , '' one resident said . `` I opened the door and started walking outside and started shouting to the neighbors . One told me ' I am wounded , ' another one did n't answer me at all . That second one -- may god have mercy on his soul -- he was martyred . '' While the battle for Yarmouk is very typical of Syria 's civil war , the conflict here is unique . Most of those fighting on all sides are Palestinians . Pro-government factions besiege the area from the outside , cutting off supplies and aid most of the time . The inside is held by anti-regime groups , some of which are Islamists . The situation in Yarmouk was thrust in to the headlines on April 1 when ISIS fighters stormed the rebel-held area and unleashed a campaign of violence and killings . Since then , a local activist tells CNN , ISIS has withdrawn to another area and left the al Qaedalinked group Jabhat al-Nusra in charge of the district . 'The deepest circle of hell ' : Terrified Yarmouk residents describe ISIS raid . But this is only the most recent in a deadly urban war that is slowly grinding down Yarmouk 's buildings and people . Of the more than 100,000 that used to live there , only about 18,000 remain , according to UNRWA , the U.N. agency tasked with aiding Palestinians . I have been to Yarmouk on various occasions , and the picture has always been the same . Pro-government factions surrounded the area and there was house-to house combat , mostly at night . A lot of destruction , very little territorial gain for either side , all of it taking a horrifying toll on the civilians trapped in the middle . `` We have no food or water , '' one resident said , standing amid the ruins of Yarmouk 's houses . `` They should open a route so we can eat and drink and they can deliver assistance and food . We have nothing . What can we do ? '' But international aid groups can do very little . There are few occasions where aid is allowed into Yarmouk , or where civilians are allowed out . UNRWA can only care for those who do manage to escape . U.N. official to visit besieged refugee camp . The agency , along with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent , runs several shelters for displaced people in government-controlled areas near the camp . Pierre Krahenbuhl , the Commissioner General for UNRWA , recently visited some of them and acknowledged that far too little help was reaching those who need it most . `` We have to call on the world and call on all the actors in the world who can influence the situation to mobilize , '' Krahenbuhl said . `` But much more has to be done to respect the civilians and to make sure that they are safe inside the camp . '' But of course those still inside are by no means safe -- subjected to shelling , bombing and street combat on top of being thirsty , hungry and in need of medication . But one thing that has not been broken is the residents ' self-respect and pride . `` This is Yarmouk camp and we are not leaving our homes , '' one man said . `` Whatever happens , if they keep hitting us with barrel bombs we will die . '' An elderly woman recalled her life as a Palestinian refugee . `` I fled Palestine when I was seven years old , '' she said . `` But I will not leave the Yarmouk camp even if I am 75 or 76 years old . Yarmouk camp is equal to my soul . I built it with my bare hands . I carried its stones on my head from a village and laid the foundation to my home . Block by block I carried them on my head . '' But despite their defiance , there 's seemingly nothing that can be done to prevent Yarmouk from being reduced to rubble . This is a war of attrition , two sides fighting for inches in tough combat without seeing that they are wrecking the prize they claim to be fighting for . Desperation for Palestinians trapped in Syrian refugee camp .
ISIS raided Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus on April 1 . 18,000 Palestinian refugees remain in the camp , cut off from vital aid . One defiant elderly resident told CNN : `` I will not leave the Yarmouk camp even if I am 75 or 76 years old ''