AMMAN: The United Nations said Sunday it began delivering aid to hundreds of thousands of Syrians through the Jaber-Nassib border crossing with Jordan, which reopened two months ago.
In total, "369 trucks carrying 11,200 metric tons of... assistance for over 650,000 people" will be involved in the four-week operation, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said.
The "exceptional" delivery, which amounts to one-month's worth of aid, would be carried out by six UN agencies and one international NGO, it added.
"This is a major logistical operation in an effort to mitigate the suffering of the Syrian people," said Anders Pedersen, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Jordan.
Among the immediate needs of Syrians were food, shelter, water and medical care, according to OCHA.
"We are working closely with our UN partners inside Syria to ensure this assistance reaches those who need it most," Pedersen added.
Syrian regime forces retook control of the border crossing from rebels in July.
Known as Jaber on the Jordanian side and Nassib in Syria, the crossing is a key Middle East trade route and its reopening in October after a three-year closure was seen as a boon for the economies of both countries.
Syria's civil war has killed more than 360,000 people since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.
More than half the country's 23 million people have fled, with 6.6 million of those internally displaced and more than 5.6 million going abroad, according to UN figures.
UN launches aid delivery from Jordan to 650,000 Syrians
UN launches aid delivery from Jordan to 650,000 Syrians
- Known as Jaber on the Jordanian side and Nassib in Syria, the crossing is a key Middle East trade route
- Reopening in October after a three-year closure was seen as a boon for the economies of both countries
Gaza fuel running short after Israel closes borders amid Iran war
- Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US
- Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples may become tight, officials say, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran.
Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the United States. Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war and have not said how long they would be shut.
Few days’ worth of supplies
Gaza is wholly dependent on fuel brought in by trucks from Israel and Egypt and a lack of fresh supplies would put hospital operations at risk and threaten water and sanitation services, local officials say. Most Palestinians in Gaza are internally displaced after Israel’s two-year war with Hamas militants.
“I expect we have maybe a couple of days’ running time,” said United Nations official Karuna Herrmann, who directs fuel distribution in Gaza.
Amjad Al-Shawa, a Palestinian aid leader in Gaza, who works with the UN and NGOs, estimated fuel supplies could last three or four days, while stocks of vegetables, flour, and other essentials could also soon run out if the crossings remain shut.
Reuters was unable to independently verify those estimates.
Israel’s COGAT military agency, which controls access to Gaza, said that enough food had been delivered to the territory since the start of an October truce to provide for the population.
“(The) existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period,” COGAT said, without elaborating. It declined to comment on potential fuel shortages.
The truce was part of broader US-backed plan to end the war that involves reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing the flow of aid into the enclave, and rebuilding it.
Hamada Abu Laila, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza, said the closures were stoking fear of a return of famine, which gripped parts of the enclave last year after Israel blocked aid deliveries for 11 weeks.
“Why is it our fault, in Gaza, with regional wars between Israel, Iran, and America? It is not our fault,” Abu Laila said.
