BEIRUT — Syria’s government has approved the delivery of medicine and surgical supplies to three areas of the country aid workers were previously unable to reach regularly — including opposition-held Aleppo, the World Health Organization said Monday. Trapped civilians have been denied life-saving medical assistance because all sides in Syria's three-year civil war have prevented medicine from crossing the front lines fearing it could be used to help wounded enemy fighters.
Elizabeth Hoff, the WHO's Syria representative, said the government has promised access to Aleppo, the besieged Damascus district of Mouadamiya, and Eastern Ghouta, outside the capital. "It is something that we have been negotiating, after the constraints we've had, we have had top level meetings. We see a positive outlook," Hoff said. "We have actually got promises to deliver to Aleppo and the hard to reach areas around Aleppo. This will happen this week.” The United Nations says 4.7 million Syrians live in areas that are hard to reach, including at least 241,000 people who remain besieged by either government or opposition forces.
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