BAB AL-HAWA CROSS­ING: An aid convoy reached rebel-held northwestern Syria on Thursday, the first such assistance to enter the country since a devastating earthquake that killed thousands struck on Monday, according to a border official.

The 7.8-magnitude quake has killed nearly 20,000 people in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria, entire neighbourhoods.

“The first UN aid convoy entered today,” said Mazen Alloush, media officer at the crossing.

An AFP correspondent saw six trucks passing through the crossing from Turkey, carrying tents and hygiene products.

Alloush noted the delivery had been expected before Monday’s quake, but said: “It could be considered an initial response from the United Nations, and it should be followed, as we were promised, with bigger convoys to help our people.”

The International Orga­nisation for Migration said in a statement the delivery includes blankets, mattresses, tents and “basic rel­ief items... to cover the needs of at least 5,000 people”.

“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 head Antonio Vitorino.

But the White Helmets rescue group that operates in rebel-held areas said they were disappointed by the aid, which they said was part of “routine” deliveries.

“This is certainly not special aid and equipment for search and rescue teams,” they said in a statement on Twitter.

“This makes us very disappointed at a time when we are desperate for such equipment to help us save lives from under the rubble.”

The White Helmets had earlier appealed for international help in their “race against time”.

The UN’s resident Syria coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told AFP on Wednesday that no fresh deliveries of humanitarian aid had been sent to the rebel-held northwest from within Syria in about three weeks.

He said the UN has some stocks in the area — enough to feed 100,000 people for one week.

Speaking from Dama­scus, Benlamlih said the destruction in government-held provinces “is huge”.

“But we know also that the destruction in the northwest is huge and we need to get there to assess.”

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2023