An aid convoy by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent crossed into the besieged town of Moadamiyeh, in rural Damascus, delivering food and medical aid to thousands of residents on Wednesday evening, February 3. Living conditions in the town worsened last year when government forces entirely cut off access, with opposition activists reporting several cases of severe malnutrition.

Thousands of residents had waited at the edges of a buffer-zone between the warring parties to receive the deliveries, the Red Cross said. With deliveries for 10,000 to 12,000 people, it added, aid they were permitted to distribute fell far short of the needs of the 50,000 residents.

On Thursday, the ICRC called on all warring parties in Syria to lift their sieges and grant access for aid deliveries. According to AP, close to half a million Syrians live in besieged communities. Credit: YouTube/ICRC