A Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus has been attacked, reportedly by warplanes, activists say, according to BBC News.

The number of people killed or injured is unclear, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, reported at least eight deaths.

The al-Yarmouk camp houses Palestinians and also Syrians displaced by fighting.

It is the first time the camp has been hit since the uprising against the Syrian government began in March 2011.

The SOHR said the attack on Yarmouk was the sixth on Sunday, December 16 on districts of southern Damascus where rebels have been battling government forces.

Violence has been increasing in and around the capital in recent weeks.

Yarmouk is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria.There are some 500,000 Palestinians in Syria. Their loyalties are divided between the government and the opposition.

In August, at least 20 people were killed in a shopping area during a mortar attack on the camp.