The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the number of UN aid trucks that entered opposition-controlled areas in northwestern Syria from the beginning of the year until October 31 reached 498 trucks.
According to OCHA, in a report on Wednesday, November 6, most of the aid entered through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, with 451 trucks, and through the Bab al-Salama crossing with 47 trucks, while no trucks entered through the al-Rai crossing.
Last year, nearly 2,000 UN aid trucks crossed from Turkey to northwestern Syria using the Bab al-Hawa, Bab al-Salama, and al-Rai border crossings.
The agreement reached between the United Nations and the Syrian regime government on August 6, 2023, granted the regime the authority to allow humanitarian aid to enter areas needed by Syrians outside its control, after the Russian veto thwarted a resolution to extend the mechanism via the Security Council on July 10, 2023.
On July 11, aid entry from the Bab al-Hawa crossing was extended until January 13, 2025.
The Bab al-Hawa crossing connects Idlib (areas controlled by the Syrian Salvation Government) to Turkey, while the al-Rai crossing in the city of al-Rai and the Bab al-Salama crossing in the city of Azaz, northern Aleppo (areas controlled by the Syrian Interim Government), connect to Turkey.
There are 5.16 million people residing in northwestern Syria, including 4.27 million in need of humanitarian assistance.
In the camps, which number 1,523 informal and formal camps, there are 2.1 million people.
This year witnessed a decline in the response to humanitarian needs in Syria.
From January to October 28, 2024, aid reached only 920,000 people, or 27% of those in need.
The number of people in need of food assistance in northwestern Syria reached 3.645 million, with aid secured for 610,000 of them, or 17%.
The northwestern region of Syria is under opposition control and is managed by two de facto governments: the Interim Government and the Salvation Government.
The influence of the Interim Government extends over rural Aleppo and the cities of Ras al-Ain in western al-Hasakah and Tal Abyad in northern Raqqa, while the Salvation Government governs vast parts of Idlib and parts of western Aleppo, northern Hama, and eastern Latakia.
The region is subjected to continuous bombardment by regime and Russian forces, especially in areas of Salvation Government influence, despite a ceasefire agreement signed in Moscow between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.