Syria continues to receive aid from its allies and partners, with 17 planes landing at the three major Syrian airports in Damascus, Latakia, and Aleppo. Among these planes were nine from the UAE, three from Iraq, three from Libya, and two from Russia, carrying hundreds of tons of aid. The total number of aid planes that have arrived in the country since the earthquake disaster now stands at 167.
More aid trucks and convoys loaded with relief supplies continued to enter Syria, and the Syrian-Lebanese border received the first land aid convoy provided by the European Union, which was received by the Red Crescent on Saturday. Additionally, Iraqi trucks crossing the border have been providing essential aid to Syrians affected by the earthquake.
On Saturday, three Iraqi planes carrying relief aid arrived at Latakia International Airport. The Chargé d’Affaires of the Iraqi Embassy in Damascus, Yassin Sharif Al-Hajimi, stated in a special statement to Al-Watan that the planes were accompanied by a high-level Iraqi delegation from the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, and the head of the Hajj and Umrah Authority “with the rank of minister”. They met with the Governor of Latakia Amer Hilal and the Director of Latakia Health to review the governor’s needs, which will be presented later to the Iraqi government and the crisis cell.
On Saturday, an Iraqi aid convoy consisting of 100 trucks and vehicles entered through the al-Bukamal crossing carrying relief and food supplies, medicines, fuel and ambulances.
On Saturday, nine Emirati planes carrying aid arrived at the airports of Latakia, Damascus, and Aleppo. In addition, two trucks loaded with 51 tons of dates provided by the UAE arrived at the Nasib border crossing for distribution in the earthquake-affected governorates. The Syria Trust for Development also received 18 tons of medicine provided by al-Jadeed Pharmaceutical Industries Company in Jordan through the Naseeb border crossing.
An aid plane from Russia arrived at Damascus International Airport carrying 15 tons of food and clothing, while another plane landed at Latakia Airport. In addition, three planes arrived from Benghazi, with two landing in Latakia and the third in Damascus, all carrying aid to assist those affected by the earthquake.
Saturday night, an aid shipment loaded with 50 tons of humanitarian aid provided by the Italian government and the European Union entered through the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Khaled Hboubati, head of the Syrian Red Crescent, revealed that three aid planes coming from Europe arrived directly at Damascus International Airport: one from Norway, another from Denmark, and a third from Germany.
In response to a question about the mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid, Hboubati stated, “The governors are the heads of relief committees in their areas, and they have lists of the names of those affected. The Red Crescent and other associations distribute aid based on these lists.”
In a statement to Al-Watan, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Italian Embassy, Massimiliano Dantono, said: “Now is not the time for politics. Politics will create other problems, and today we need to join hands and work together. This is the real message I carry from my government.”
Preparation of a final database of the numbers affected by the earthquake
The Cabinet emphasized the importance of accurately preparing the final database of the number of those affected and the extent of the damage. This will enable appropriate measures to be taken to mitigate the effects of the disaster as much as possible based on the scenarios that will be studied and evaluated.
During an extraordinary session chaired by Hussein Arnous, the Council reviewed the working papers submitted by the four ministerial committees: Economic, Services and Infrastructure, Resources and Energy, and Human Development, which provide their respective plans on how to deal with the effects and repercussions of the earthquake on the sectors falling within their scope of work.
The Council discussed a number of practical scenarios and proposals that can be implemented in the short, medium and long term that contribute to mitigating the repercussions of the earthquake disaster, reducing its negative effects, and providing all forms of aid and support to those affected, in the context of the action plan organizing the government response to the repercussions of the earthquake as a subsequent stage of the emergency response.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
