The Geneva based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said to be deeply concerned that any escalation in Syria’s north-east could harm an already struggling population, noting that 11.7 million people across the country require humanitarian aid after eight years of conflict.

 

"Today, hundreds of thousands of people in the area - whether in camps, detention or their own villages and towns – are again facing the prospect of more conflict," said Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC's Geneva-based director for the Near and Middle East. "The humanitarian needs across Syria are immense, and the ICRC is trying to meet them in what is already an incredibly complex environment. The humanitarian space needs to be preserved."

 

In the northeast of Syria (Hassakeh, Raqqa and Deir Ezzor governorates), more than 100,000 people are currently being hosted in camps, the vast majority of them Syrians and Iraqis. There are over 68,000 people living in Al Hol camp alone -- two thirds of them children – where the ICRC runs a field hospital.

 

Years of fierce fighting have left most of Syria's vital services extremely fragile. Half of Syria's health facilities are not functioning or are only partially functioning. Two million children cannot go to school, casting a further shadow on the country's future. One in two Syrians have been displaced by the conflict, either abroad or within the country.