Snow, Ukraine War Pile Misery on Refugees in Northern Syria

A Syrian refugee woman removes snow from her tent in al-Mahatta camp, north of Aleppo. (White Helmets)
A Syrian refugee woman removes snow from her tent in al-Mahatta camp, north of Aleppo. (White Helmets)
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Snow, Ukraine War Pile Misery on Refugees in Northern Syria

A Syrian refugee woman removes snow from her tent in al-Mahatta camp, north of Aleppo. (White Helmets)
A Syrian refugee woman removes snow from her tent in al-Mahatta camp, north of Aleppo. (White Helmets)

The suffering for people in Syria’s northwest has worsened as the prices of goods and oil shot up, with some commodities missing from markets due to the war on Ukraine. Refugee camps are also witnessing ongoing humanitarian crises brought about by harsh weather.

Since Sunday, snow and severe cold have swept Syria’s northwest.

Volunteers from the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, are visiting refugee camps to provide first aid to civilians and the elderly most affected by the drop in temperatures amid a scarcity of heating material and difficulty in accessing hospitals and clinics due to the accumulation of snow.

Moreover, these camps suffer from a drop in the volume of humanitarian aid donated by international and local organizations.

So far, harsh winter conditions have damaged at least 44 refugee camps in northern Syria.

As for price hikes, they mostly affected cooking oils, sugar, and flour.

The Salvation Government in Idlib has vowed to confront price increases and help locals overcome the economic crisis.

Abu Saeed, 55, said that he had to walk more than two hours on Sunday to find sugar in the area’s markets. At the end of his tiresome journey, he was able to only buy half a kilo of sugar for 20 Turkish liras.

A kilo of sugar used to sell for 8 Turkish liras.

Abu Saeed believes that the sugar price hike is essentially the result of traders’ monopoly that is solely aimed at maximizing profits.



UN Calls for Independent Probe into Civilians Harmed Trying to Get Food in Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
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UN Calls for Independent Probe into Civilians Harmed Trying to Get Food in Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday slammed as "unacceptable" the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid in Gaza, a spokesman said, calling the loss of life in the territory "unthinkable".

"The Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"We are witnessing unthinkable loss of life in Gaza (and) the secretary-general condemns the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid," he said. "It is unacceptable civilians are risking and in several instances losing their lives just trying to get food."

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation.

A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after.

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting.

The Foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles.

The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".

However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies.

On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire.

The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday’s distribution "fabrications" by Hamas.