Note to correspondents on Yarmouk camp in Damascus, Syria

On the Yarmouk camp in Damascus, Syria, the Spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Chris Gunness, has the following to say: "Our food distribution inside Yarmouk remained on hold for the ninth consecutive day. As UNRWA was informed in the morning that the distribution will not take place today, the UNRWA team did not visit Yarmouk. Nevertheless we remain hopeful that unrestricted humanitarian access to the civilian population inside Yarmouk will be granted and that the Agency’s food distribution will resume without further delay. UNRWA strongly appeals to the authorities and concerned parties to consider the immense needs of the civilian population in Yarmouk and allow and facilitate UNRWA’s distribution of food, medicines and other humanitarian assistance. UNRWA has been advised that the agreement reached between authorities and armed groups inside Yarmouk needs time to be fully implemented.  However, UNRWA strongly appeals to all parties to give the utmost priority to addressing the hunger, malnutrition and the protracted suffering of civilians inside Yarmouk.  The authorities and concerned parties can do this by allowing UNRWA unrestricted, uninterrupted and substantial humanitarian access to Yarmouk.  Civilians in Yarmouk have already suffered greatly and should not have to endure further anguish.  A resumption of UNRWA’s humanitarian operations inside Yarmouk is a matter of the greatest urgency."