Poland ready to send humanitarian aid to eastern Ghouta

At least 13 civilians were killed in air strikes on Thursday by government forces in the rebel-held region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the PAP news agency reported.

“We are ready to provide assistance to the victims of the [ongoing] hostilities in eastern Ghouta, including medication, food and clothing,” Kempa tweeted on Thursday.

Over 400 civilians have been killed and 2,000 injured in ongoing military operations in eastern Ghouta, chiefly in air attacks by regime forces since February 4, when the attacks escalated, according to the UN.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein has condemned what he called a “monstrous campaign of annihilation” of civilians in the region.

On Monday night, the United Nations appealed to the Syrian army to stop bombardment in the region, inhabited by 400,000 people.

Eastern Ghouta, which is of strategic importance to rebels, has been under siege by the Syrian army since 2013.

Government forces and its allies had cut off routes for transporting food and medication to the enclave. Last week saw the first humanitarian convoy reach the region since the end of November, after months of efforts by the UN.

The Polish government is to allocate an extra USD 10 million to help refugees in Lebanon, a senior aide to the Polish prime minister said last week. (aba/pk)

Source: PAP