By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

UN humanitarian adviser for Syria Jan Egeland on Wednesday urged humanitarian access to Douma in Eastern Ghouta where around 150,000 people were "on their knees in terms of needs".

Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, Egeland said: "Why can we not deliver to the people of Douma today for example even though we are on the eve of a deal for Douma, they are really, really on their knees in terms of needs.

“There is an ongoing negotiation between the [Syrian] government and the Russian Federation, and the armed group inside Douma, which is the remaining area still under armed opposition control."

Warning about UN's underfunded Syria operation this year, the adviser said only 7.7 percent of the UN humanitarian operation for Syria was funded after the first quarter of the year ended.

About the city of Idlib, Egeland said Idlib had been the biggest camp in the world for 1.5 million displaced people.

The regime’s continued ground-and-air attacks on Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, came despite separate cease-fire initiatives endorsed by Russia and the UN Security Council.

Since Feb. 19, nearly 1,000 people have been killed in Eastern Ghouta, and the death toll is expected to rise further as attacks by the regime remain ongoing.

Over the last eight months, the regime has stepped up its siege, making it nearly impossible for food or medicine to enter the district and leaving thousands of civilians in dire need.