Syria Crisis Bi-Weekly Situation Report No.08 (as of 4 July 2016) [EN/AR]

Highlights

• UN warns of deteriorating humanitarian situation in the "Four Towns", as fighting continues and access to 62,000 besieged civilians remains cut off since April.

• Following an inter-agency convoy to civilians in the besieged towns of Arbin and Zamalka in Rural Damascus for the first time since 2012, all 18 besieged locations have now been reached at least once in 2016

• Following the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Arbin and Zamalka the convoy came under fire, injuring a driver.

• Conditions worsen for tens of thousands of Syrians stranded at the berm on Jordan's north-eastern border with Syria.

• Aerial bombardment of Khan Eshieh refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus kills a number of civilians and destroys the camp’s only Child Friendly Space.

Situation Overview

On 29 June an inter-agency convoy delivered life-saving humanitarian assistance for 20,000 people in the besieged towns of Arbin and Zamalka in Rural Damascus. As the last two besieged areas yet to be reached in 2016, the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Arbin and Zamalka marks a positive development in efforts to increase access to besieged and hard-to-reach locations in Syria. In the month of June, humanitarian actors reached a total of 341,400 civilians living in besieged and hard-to-reach locations.

However, despite some positive momentum, the continued absence of full and sustained access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas is exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. The provision of partial approvals by the authorities for some requests submitted combined with insecurity prevents humanitarian partners from delivering fully on plans to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in these areas.

In some areas, insecurity has also prevented humanitarian actors from maintaining access to civilian populations living in besieged and hard-to-reach locations. Tensions and hostilities between the Government of Syria and other parties to the "Four Towns Agreement" have left over 62,000 civilians in the towns of Madaya, Foah, Zabadani and Kefraya cut off from humanitarian assistance since April. In recent weeks reports of frequent shelling, increased aerial bombardment and heightened military presence surrounding the towns has further worsened the condition of the civilian population (see more below).

In a statement expressing alarm at the deteriorating humanitarian situation, the UN Resident/ Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Yacoub El Hillo called on all parties to allow the 'immediate and unconditional' delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians living in the Four Towns and specifically to halt their 'tit-for-tat' approach to medical evacuations. The Government of Syria's agreement to authorize the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Four Towns under the July inter-agency operation plan provides a renewed opportunity to open up and maintain access to civilians living under siege in the Four Towns.

Over the reporting period there were also reports of multiple attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Khan Eshieh Palestine Refugee Camp. During the week of 26 June – 3 July, intensified shelling and airstrikes were reported in the Khan Eshieh Palestine Refugee Camp, killing at least six civilians. Situated on the outskirts of Damascus, the camp is home to roughly 9,000 Palestinian refugees as well as a number of internally displaced Syrians. As well as destroying homes, UNRWA and UNICEF confirmed that airstrikes on the night of 3 July also destroyed the only Child Friendly Space in the camp, leaving some 1,000 children without a designated space for education, psychosocial care and recreational activities. With humanitarian access already impeded by ongoing hostilities in surrounding areas, this latest attack will further undermine the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians living in Khan Eshieh.

The deterioration in the security environment has also had a significant impact on cross-border humanitarian operations between Jordan and Syria. Following an attack on the Jordanian Border Guard at Rukban on 21 June, the Government of Jordan has sealed its entire northern border and, as a consequence, cross-border operations between Jordan and southern Syria have been suspended. While cross-border operations under UNSC resolution 2168/2258 remained suspended at the time of writing, it is hoped that operations via Ramtha will be able to resume shortly. The condition of the tens of thousands of Syrians stranded at the berm (on the north-eastern Jordan-Syria border) is of profound concern, with humanitarian organizations currently unable to access the area to replenish the two week food rations distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) on 20 June. After some initial challenges, water deliveries to both Hadalat and Rukban are now proceeding relatively smoothly. Negotiations between the authorities and humanitarian partners are still ongoing to resume the delivery of food, which will not take place until after Eid, when appropriate security measures have been put in place.