While President Bashar al-Assad toured quake-hit Aleppo, meeting with survivors and rescuers, the Council of Ministers held an extraordinary session in Damascus and decided to allow the delivery of aid to areas of the country outside of the regime’s control, with the assistance of the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), state media SANA reported.
At least 3,384 people have been killed across Syria and rescue teams continue to search the rubble for survivors. Rebel-held areas have received little aid or assistance in the aftermath of the earthquakes. There is only one border crossing at Bab al-Hawa between rebel-held Syria and Turkey that is open to international assistance.
On Thursday, the first UN aid crossed into northwest Syria. A convoy of six trucks carrying blankets, tents, solar lamps, and basic relief items from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) crossed the border from Turkey. “We are working very closely with authorities to support in any way we can and hope that aid will quickly reach those most impacted," said IOM Director General António Vitorino.
Lack of equipment and fuel are hampering rescue efforts in northwest Syria, according to the UN, which estimates at least six million people will need assistance.
The United States on Thursday announced it was temporarily lifting some sanctions for 180 days in order to allow humanitarian aid to reach Syria.
Speaking to the media in Aleppo, Assad accused the West of ignoring the humanitarian crisis. “It is said that the West has given priority to politics over the humanitarian situation, this is incorrect, in order to give priority to one situation over another, both cases must exist. The political situation exists, but the human condition does not exist in the West,” he said.
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