Humanitarian aid during the Syrian civil war
The long drawn-out struggle to gain access to people in need is far from over, but it is much enhanced by the Security Council resolutions approved in 2014.
[18] Stephen O'Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that if the targeting was deliberate it would be a war crime.
[17] Anonymous U.S. officials blamed Russia, saying two Russian Sukhoi Su-24 warplanes were flying over the aid convoy at the precise time it was struck.
The head of the Relief and Rescue Organization of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Morteza Salimi, told IRIB that the shipment included 150,000 food cans.
The IRCS official noted that Iran has so far dispatched 28,000 blankets, 400 tents, 800 rugs, 5,000 oil heaters, 1,400 boxes of dried bread, eight tonnes of medicines, 700 sets of dishware and 165,000 food cans to people in Aleppo.
The aid consisted of medical care, water, electricity, education or food and was given to Syrians near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, often escorted across by Israeli soldiers.
[36] In the summer of 2017 Israel enabled the opening of a field clinic, "Camp Ichay", in the central area of the Golan Heights, across the border fence.
The hospital, responsible for an area of 80,000 people, was operated by an american humanitarian organisation "Friendships", took care of about 10% of the population, before having to shut down a year later.
[40][41][42] and allowed some fighters to cross the ceasefire line in Golan Heights to seek medical treatment on the Israeli-controlled side.
[43] The Syrian ambassador to the UN, Bashar al-Ja'afari, also accused Israel of helping Jabhat al-Nusra and treating their wounded in the Golan Heights area.
[48][49] In mid-February 2016 Syrian military transport planes with the support of Russian fighters Su-30 brought another batch of the joint Russian-Syrian humanitarian aid to the inhabitants of the besieged militants city of Deir ez-Zor.
[18] Stephen O'Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that if the targeting was deliberate it would be a war crime.
[51] On 20 October 2016, a Russian plane carrying Serbian aid including food, medicine, and clothes arrived in Syria.
Called Hayat (Life), it is set to deliver aid items to IDPs inside Syria and refugees in neighboring countries: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.
The aid is aimed at meeting the immediate needs of vulnerable people in Syria and of refugees in other countries in the region including Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.
[1][59] By 2022, United States had provided a total of 16 billion dollars worth of humanitarian aid, relief packages and food supplies through USAID to millions of people stranded across Syria.
Limitations imposed by the Assad regime on humanitarian organizations from operating outside areas of government control have heavily impacted aid deliveries to opposition-held territories.
The effect of sanctions intended to curb war crimes is thus hampered by misuse of funding provided by the United Nations, and by Russian and Iranian support.
Russia often blocks U.N. resolutions, including international sanctions, which are intended to relieve the situation of civilians in Syria.
[62] The Syrian government has imposed conditions on the use of the Bab al-Hawa crossing for UN aid deliveries, causing bureaucratic and logistical hurdles, impacting their ability to reach the millions in need efficiently.
Its expiration has led to worries about 'overcompliance' and 'de-risking' practices by banks and companies, potentially hindering the speed and efficiency of humanitarian responses in Syria.
These camps suffer from inadequate access to water, sanitation, and are highly dependent on international aid for survival.
The Syrian government's actions, including cutting off electricity and water supplies to these areas, have further compounded the situation.
