( CNN ) Thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees trapped in the Yarmouk refugee camp have suffered what can only be described as untold indignities . But while the story is in itself tragic , it is the individual lives at the heart of the camp that make the imperative for humanitarian action so compelling . I encountered two such individuals on my mission to Damascus -- Jihad and Mohammad -- tiny , vulnerable infants who were taken from Yarmouk in recent days , a place that was described last week by the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as `` the deepest circle of hell . '' The fact that they are alive truly make them miracle children . Looking into those bright young faces , touching their pristine hands , the logic of our humanitarian mandate -- the mission to protect -- never felt stronger to me . Like the wider Syrian conflict , Yarmouk has a human face ; the faces of young Mohammad and young Jihad . I want to introduce you to them in the hope that you , too , will understand why I am firmly convinced that turning away is not an option -- and why the international community must act in a concerted manner to respond to the many tragedies in Syria . Jihad Ya'qoub , the youngest Palestinian refugee to flee Yarmouk , was born on March 30 . His mother , Said Fatima , never imagined bringing a child into this world could be so tough . `` I was hoping to drink milk and eat eggs during my pregnancy , but our financial situation did allow us to buy these expensive food items , '' she said . Said Fatima was living in a community where the average person survived on just 400 calories a day . Mohammad was born in Yarmouk on January 25 of this year . When ISIS -- Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- entered the camp and tensions heightened , his mother , Nadia , fled in search of safety . Her only thoughts were to save the life of her newborn son . Yet she has not lost hope in the possibility of a dignified future . She hopes that if and when life returns to normal , she will be able to live once more with her husband and son in the family home in Yarmouk . These tales of courage and human dignity are a lesson for us all . When I next brief the Security Council , as I did a few days ago , I will tell them about Jihad and Mohammad . I will continue to press the case for humanitarian access to other children like them inside Yarmouk , other civilians who need help where they are . To do this , hostilities will have to subside . Pressure must be exerted on armed actors in Yarmouk to this end . Beyond that , those civilians wishing to temporarily leave must be allowed to do so safely . These things are all possible . But it takes the necessary political will -- nothing more , nothing less . Yarmouk must be a place where the politics of the possible begin to take hold . I believe they can . Because to abandon such belief would be to abandon Jihad , Mohammad and thousands of other civilians like them . And that is simply not an option .
Yarmouk is a refugee camp near turkey in war - ravaged turkey . refugee victims of the United Nations : Individual refugees underscore need for humanitarian action .