No more aid to Syrians through berm — source

AMMAN — The Jordanian borders will no longer be used as a conduit to deliver aid to Syrian refugees stranded on the Kingdom’s border, an official source said on Tuesday.

The relief items will be delivered from inside Syria to some 70,000 Syrians in the no-man’s land, the source said, declining to give more details on the operation.

The decision came one month after the Kingdom allowed access of humanitarian aid for those refugees for the first time since the closure of the border and announcing the area an off-limit military zone in June.

The border closure was effected after a terrorist attack in late June targeted a military post serving refugees near the border, killing seven troops and injuring 13 others.

On August 3, food provided by the UN World Food Programme, bread from the International Organisation for Migration and UNICEF hygiene kits were lifted from the Jordanian side by 70-metre high cranes and lowered into encampments for the displaced in the southern Syrian desert. 

The 650 metric tonnes of aid was delivered to two locations, Rakban and Hadalat, over three days, with quantities covering needs of refugees for one month.

The government was decisive back then in stressing that the delivery was a one-time occurrence and would not be repeated.

However, water is still being delivered on a daily basis according to UNICEF.

Prior to the closure of the northern border, Jordan was receiving dozens of refugees daily.

However, since the closure of the area no Syrian refugees have entered the Kingdom, except some injured Syrians who were allowed in for treatment.

Jordan is home to some 1.3 million Syrians, according to the 2015 census.