Russia and the United States agreed to a short-lived partial ceasefire in Syria on September 12: the most recent attempt at multilateral agreement in the beleaguered nation. The agreement – brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov – was designed primarily to allow the provision of much-needed aid to civilians in the northern city of Aleppo. This was to be achieved by way of a temporary suspension in airstrikes against civilians and US-supported rebels. The ceasefire was initially designed to last for 7 days, and involved the potential of extended joint military action against the Islamic State if successful.

There has been a critical need for humanitarian aid in Aleppo, as bombing and intense fighting over the last 5 years has destroyed key infrastructure. An estimated 2 million civilians have been left without running water, and enormous pressure has been placed on the few remaining medical facilities inside the city.

The United Nations responded quickly to the ceasefire, dispatching a convoy of 31 trucks loaded with essential aid (including food, water and medicine) intended for approximately 78,000 people in need. According to Amnesty International, 18 of 31 trucks in the convoy were hit by Syrian and Russian aircrafts whilst en-route to Aleppo, killing at least 20 civilians. The warehouse of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in Orem Al Kubra, where the trucks were docking, was also targeted in the attack. Russia and the Syrian regime responded to claims that they were responsible, stating that the US had failed to uphold their side of the agreement after an airstrike intended for Islamic State forces killed 60 Syrian government soldiers earlier in the week. Russia has since denied any involvement in the attack, responding that either the US was responsible or the trucks simply caught alight. A temporary pause in all aid deliveries ensued.

Syria is now considered the most dangerous conflict zone in the world, after 54 staff and volunteers of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have lost their lives in 6 years. Since President Assad declared the end to the ceasefire on September 19, fighting has intensified and aid workers have increasingly become the targets of bombings. The Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets), who have saved approximately 60,000 lives since 2013 have seen the destruction of their emergency vehicles, fire stations and 3 out of 4 operation centers since the breakdown of the ceasefire. Since the civil war began in 2011 4 million Syrian people have been forced to flee their homeland, and a further 8.7 million have been internally displaced. A critical shortage of humanitarian aid will further exacerbate the already desperate situation for civilians inside Aleppo and around the country.