Humanitarian aid is currently being sent to Syria from northwestern border posts via Türkiye. The World Food Program (WFP) said community kitchens had opened in Aleppo and Hama, but both cities were now under the control of fighters.
In neighboring Lebanon, the UN’s top humanitarian aid official, Adem Vosornu, expressed deep concern for the safety of more than six million people who have begun returning to their homes following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.
Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on November 27 after weeks of intense violence in Lebanon.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, the UN official expressed concern over the scattered unexploded explosives and munitions, saying, “I believe they are in the process of rehabilitation, but the problem is when they return home… what will they get?
Syria, food aid is critical
Samer Abdeljaber of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations briefed reporters on a joint mission of emergency officials from the United Nations and non-governmental organizations to assess the situation in the Middle East region from November 25 to December 1 in Geneva.
He said, the way a new emergency situation is being created in Syria, it is as if one crisis is growing on top of another. The civil war in Syria began in 2011 after civilians rebelled against the government.
Since then, efforts by the Security Council and the international community to end the violent conflict and the intervention of regional and international powers in Syria have failed.
According to one estimate, millions of people have been killed in the civil war in Syria so far and a large number are being held in government prisons.
According to the World Food Programme, the number of people displaced by the violence of the past few days could reach 1.5 million and humanitarian aid will be needed on a massive scale.
WFP’s Samer Abdeljaber said humanitarian agencies on both sides of the frontline were trying to get relief to the Syrian people in need.
critical situation
Despite the sudden outbreak of violent clashes, humanitarian aid continues to flow through the three border crossings between Türkiye and Syria. Aid is arriving in Aleppo, the country’s second largest city.
Millions of people in Syria are facing a dire situation in the shadow of war. The economy of the country and the livelihood of the common citizens have been destroyed and it has become difficult for them to survive.
“After 13 or 14 years of violent conflict in Syria, the situation is currently at breaking point. “More than 3 million Syrians suffer from severe food insecurity and lack access to adequate food.”
Even before the latest war broke out, 12.9 million people in Syria needed food aid.
In this situation, Syria needs additional humanitarian aid funding and support. A humanitarian appeal of $4.1 billion was made for Syria, but less than one-third of that amount has so far been raised.
Risks for people returning to Lebanon
Adem Vosornu, director of operations at the UN Humanitarian Office, said people affected by the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah fighters had begun to return to their homes quickly.
Many of these people are Syrian nationals who took refuge in Lebanon after war broke out in their country and were then forced to emigrate due to the violent conflict there.
Local farmers returning to Lebanon may also face risks in war-torn areas of southern Lebanon. There is a risk of landmines and unexploded ordnance being scattered in these areas and civilians may fall victim to them.
In this context, the UN Landmine Action Team is requested to provide assistance to the Government of Lebanon to make these sites safe again, to ensure the safety of people returning to their homes.