Beirut - Fresh supplies of food aid reached Syria's rebel-held
enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Thursday for the first time since last
week, as thousands fled the besieged region near the capital
Damascus, aid groups and a monitor reported.
"We are offloading and all is going well," Ralph al-Haj, an official
at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told dpa.
Linda Tom, a spokeswoman at the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the ICRC, the Syrian Red Crescent
and the UN were delivering food assistance for 26 100 people in
Eastern Ghouta's town of Douma.
"But much more is needed including medicine, medical supplies and
other essential items," she added.
Eastern Ghouta is one of the remaining areas under rebel control on
the outskirts of Damascus. It has been the target of intense
government attacks for almost a month.
Rami Abdel-Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, said shelling was heard in Douma as the 25-truck convoy
entered.
Last Friday, a 13-truck convoy entered Douma to deliver aid. A
previous delivery had failed due to insecurity and fighting there.
Douma is controlled by the rebel faction Jaish al-Islam.
Children collect water in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus. Picture: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters
Abdel-Rahman said that more than 12 500 civilians left Eastern Ghouta
on Thursday for government-controlled areas through a humanitarian
corridor in the town of Hamouriyeh.
"This is considered the largest exodus from the region since it fell
under the government siege in 2013," Abdel-Rahman told dpa.
Syrian state media said that around 10 000 had left Hamouriyeh.
Russian news agency TASS said at least 13 000 people were expected to
leave the region by the end of the day.
Children gather wood in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta. Picture: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters
The Syrian army retook control of Hamouriyeh on Thursday after the
rebel faction Faylaq al-Sham retreated from the town, according to
the Britain-based Observatory. The rebels seized Hamouriyeh more than
five years ago.
Evacuations of civilians from Eastern Ghouta began earlier this week,
after a daily, 5-hour ceasefire was called last month by Russia, a
major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The evacuees are accompanied by army forces to makeshift centres
outside Damascus, according to state media.
Around 1 992 people, inckluding 426 children, have been killed in
Eastern Ghouta due to violence in the past four months, the
Observatory has estimated.