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ISTANBUL: More than 410,00 Syrians who fled to Turkiye during the rule of Bashar Assad have returned home since he was overthrown in December, the government announced Thursday.
Turkiye’s interior ministry said 411,649 Syrians had so far returned, the rate picking up in recent weeks, with the immigration service recording 140,000 returns since mid-June.
In June Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), said 600,000 Syrians had returned homme from neighboring countries.
Syria has seen outbreaks of violence in recent weeks, testing the authorities’ ability to contain inter-religious strife after the fall of Assad.
Around 2.5 million Syrian refugees still live in Turkiye, according to the latest figures, released in early August.
In 2021, Turkiye said up to 3.7 million Syrians had taken refuge in the country.

GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defense agency said at least 17 people were killed Thursday in Israeli strikes as the military intensified its bombardment of Gaza City.
The dead included six civilians who had been waiting for humanitarian aid, said civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal.
“The Israeli occupation forces are intensifying their raids in the Zeitun area” of Gaza City, he said.
The Israeli military has yet to comment.
“For the fourth consecutive day, the area has been subject to a military operation, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries,” said Bassal.
“Since dawn today, we have received 28 calls from families and residents of this neighborhood, some of whose children have been killed.
“Many people cannot leave these areas due to artillery fire,” the spokesperson added.
Maram Kashko, a resident of Zeitun, said the strikes had increased over the past four days.
“My nephew, his wife and their children were killed in a bombardment,” he told AFP.
An AFP videographer said their bodies were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City and buried shortly afterwards at the Sayyid Hashim cemetery.
On Wednesday, the head of the Israeli military said he had approved a new plan for operations in the Gaza Strip aimed at freeing all hostages and defeating Hamas.
The military intends to take control of Gaza City and neighboring refugee camps, some of the most densely populated areas in the Palestinian territory, which has been devastated by more than 22 months of war.
Over the past three days, Zeitun has been the target of repeated air strikes, according to multiple sources, including the military.
Adding to the dire humanitarian situation, Gaza has been experiencing a spell of extreme heat, which is particularly difficult for displaced residents living in tents and makeshift shelters.
“The heat is unbearable. We live in a nylon tent — it’s like an oven. We cannot stay inside during the day, there is no ventilation,” said Umm Khaled Abu Jazar, 40, displaced in the Al-Mawasi camp.
“My children have developed skin rashes. Even the water we drink is hot from the sun. There is nothing to cool us down. The heat only adds to our daily suffering,” the mother of five told AFP.