Syria grants UN extension to use Türkiye crossing to deliver humanitarian aid

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN said Thursday that the Syrian government extended permission to one of its agencies to use a border crossing to deliver humanitarian assistance to the northwest.

The Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced the extension “to deliver humanitarian assistance from Türkiye through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for an additional six months. That takes us until January 13, 2025," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

Noting that the "extension is essential for the UN cross-border operation," Dujarric said the crossing is a "lifeline" for Syrians in the northwest.

"Each month, we and our partners reach on average more than a million people with critical assistance and protection services. This is down significantly from previous years due to growing funding shortfalls," he added.

Dujarric reported that "so far this year, over 90% of trucks carrying UN aid, and 70% of missions by UN personnel, used Bab Al-Hawa to reach northwest Syria."

Regarding Gaza, he reiterated the ongoing hostilities and lack of public order are "severely hampering aid operations."

Saying that the UN's World Food Program (WFP) "has assisted about a quarter of a million people in Gaza so far this month," Dujarric said the agency provided aid to more than 1 million people in Gaza in June.

He conveyed the agency's warning about supplies that are needed for the distribution of hot meals, saying the supplies "will be depleted in just days unless additional stock is received."