The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Vital Idlib aid deliveries resume after ‘heavy bombing’ - WFP
Urgently-needed aid deliveries have started again to embattled civilians in north-west Syria after a day-long break in distributions caused by escalating hostilities, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
“WFP lorries have resumed their distribution work after a 24-hour pause,” WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs told journalists in Geneva. “This shows the difficulties that WFP and its humanitarian partners are facing in the field to help people, a lot of whom have been displaced many times.”
The development comes after what the agency called the “heavy bombardment” of Idlib, the last opposition-held enclave in Syria. It is also home to nearly three million civilians.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 370 civilians have been killed there since 1 December, with 49 deaths recorded between 1 and 5 February alone in areas controlled by non-Government groups.
Amid the ongoing hostilities, which follow almost nine years of war in Syria, UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has appealed for a lasting ceasefire, his spokesperson said.
“He continues to appeal for an end of the hostilities, noting that it’s imperative to de-escalate the situation in the north-west,” said spokesperson Jenifer Fenton. “He again continues to say that there is an urgent need for a sustained ceasefire and immediate, unfettered humanitarian access to the civilian population…He continues to engage with all concerned parties to try to de-escalate the situation and call for the protection of civilians.”
Asked about the possible reconvening of the Syrian Constitutional Committee at the UN in Geneva, Ms. Fenton said that he had been working to “renew progress” in the political process. “There is a need to build trust and confidence which can contribute to opening the door to a broader political process,” she maintained.
In a briefing to the Security Council last week, Mr. Pedersen noted that Syrian Government forces launched a ground offensive in the area following the dissolution of a 12 January ceasefire agreement between Turkey and the Russian Federation.
He also described attacks by various UN-designated terrorist groups during the same period, as well as direct clashes between Turkish and Syrian Government forces
At the same briefing to the Council, Mark Lowcock, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, described a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Syria linked to air and ground strikes, massive waves of displacement and a major loss of life.
“We have seen chaotic pictures in town after town as vehicles line up in every direction trying to flee,” he said. “People who have just moved cannot find adequate shelter. Tens of thousands are crammed into schools, mosques and unfinished buildings. Many are in tents in the mud, exposed to wind, rain and freezing weather.”
According to Mr. Lowcock, more than 1,220 aid trucks went through the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam border crossings between Syria and Turkey in January.
People in the city of Atareb – some 30 kilometres from the former opposition bastion of Aleppo city -
have suffered in particular from the latest uptick in violence, WFP’s Ms. Byrs said.
“Heavy bombardment in the city of Atareb over the past couple of days spurred significant population displacement. So far, airstrikes and armed clashes in north-west Syria have displaced over 800,000 people since December 2019.”
Amid harsh winter conditions and sub-zero temperatures, humanitarians have repeatedly urged the warring parties to respect international humanitarian law, in particular by safeguarding civilians, hospitals and other public infrastructure.
“I can just say that their situation is really dramatic,” Ms. Byrs said. “You can imagine with those freezing temperatures, the situation for families, for those mothers who try to feed their children, and the children have to walk and be on the move all the time.”
- Exterior shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, sunny, breezy.
- Medium shot, journalists in foreground (seated), podium speakers to rear of shot.
- Close-up, journalists, semi-profile.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson, World Food Programme (WFP): “The United Nations World Food Programme continues to provide emergency food assistance to people in desperate need in north-west Syria despite escalating hostilities.”
- Close up, journalist in foreground, other journalists to rear of shot.
- SOUNDBITE (French) — Elisabeth Byrs, porte-parole, le Programme alimentaire mondial des Nations Unies (PAM) : « Les camions du Programme alimentaire mondial ont repris les distributions après une interruption de 24 heures. Ce qui montre les difficultés du Programme alimentaire mondiale et de ses partenaires humanitaires sur le terrain pour aider ces personnes qui ont été pour beaucoup déplacés plusieurs fois. »
- Medium shot, hands typing on laptop, podium speakers to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson, World Food Programme (WFP): “Heavy bombardment in the city of Atareb over the past couple of days spurred significant population displacement. So far, airstrikes and armed clashes in north-west Syria have displaced over 800,000 people since December 2019.”
- Medium shot, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson, World Food Programme (WFP): “I can just say that their situation is really dramatic. You can imagine with those freezing temperatures, the situation for families, for those mothers who try to feed their children, and the children have to walk and be on the move all the time.”
- Wide shot, journalists, TV camera crews.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria: “He continues to appeal for an end of the hostilities, noting that it’s imperative to de-escalate the situation in the north-west. He again continues to say that there is an urgent need for a sustained ceasefire and immediate, unfettered humanitarian access to the civilian population.”
- Close up, several pairs of hands typing on laptops, profile.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria: “He continues to engage with all concerned parties to try to de-escalate the situation and call for the protection of civilians.”
- Close up, journalists in front and rear of shot.
- Medium shot, journalist looking down at laptop.
- Medium shot, journalist looking out of shot.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘A disease you get when you care for someone’: on the frontlines of the Ebola crisis with WHO
Two weeks into the latest Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) is estimating that there are 906 suspected cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including 223 suspected deaths.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on 29 May called for more robust measures by both states and tech companies to make online platforms safer for children, insisting on effective regulation, oversight and accountability. The digital world that connects children to learning, community and creativity also expose them to real risks, to their safety, to their privacy, and to their well-being. Online harms to kids’ safety, privacy, and well-being are not innate or inevitable.
See High Commissioner video: https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/d357/d3579089
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , WHO
Gaza: Life-saving medicines blocked as killing continues, disease gains ground
In Gaza, a dire humanitarian situation marked by continuing violence, rodent infestations and the spread of diseases is being made worse by blockages of essential medical supplies, UN agencies warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, warned against the continuing trend of involuntary returns of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers from host countries to Afghanistan, in violation of international human rights and refugee law, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OHCHR
Lebanon's first responders face high risks amid conflict, with 116 killed since March.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC Ebola outbreak: hundreds of suspected cases, no vaccine
A fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has health workers rushing to stop transmission while the roll out of any potential vaccine is months away, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
A UN Human Rights Office report released today covers 19 months of large-scale violations of international law including atrocity crimes, from October 2023 to the end of May 2025.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
At least six million people in Somalia are going days without enough food, UN aid teams warned on Friday, highlighting that nearly two million of this number are young children “at high risk of illness or death”.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO
Children shot, stabbed and pepper-sprayed in occupied West Bank; scores of Gaza amputees denied prosthetics, aid teams warn
Israeli military operations and surging settler attacks in the occupied West Bank are killing and maiming Palestinian children, while in Gaza tens of thousands with life-changing injuries lack access to treatment and rehabilitation, UN agencies warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The risk of hantavirus spreading to the general population is “absolutely low”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) stressed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , IFRC
Death and destruction have continued unabated in Lebanon while communities are still unable to return to their homes despite a ceasefire that began on 17 April, humanitarians said on Tuesday.