Russia has vetoed UN Security Council Resolution reauthorizing cross-border delivery of vital aid to opposition-held northwestern Syria. More than three million people are at risk of starvation due to the closure of Turkey's last route. Anna Foster, BBC correspondent, has been following the UN's last aid convoys allowed into the country.
Umm Ali boils water carefully to prepare dinner for her seven children. To keep the fire going, Umm Ali uses scraps of cardboard and other rubbish. Because supplies are limited here in the Idlib country, her meals are small and simple. Although she is grateful for the food assistance that she receives from Al-Sadaqah camp, it is not enough.
"Everyday the children go to the dump to pick up aluminum cans, nylon bags, and iron. They make a pittance selling them, enough to buy four boxes of bread. She says that it's enough for our breakfast, but not for one meal."
Umm said she is grateful for the food assistance she received, but that's not enough. These parcels will soon be stopped.
According to the UN, more Syrians are in dire need now than ever before during the 11-year civil conflict. This is due to the toxic mixture of years of fighting, Covid-19 pandemic, and war in Ukraine that have decimated the country's economy. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), food costs have risen 800% in two years.
This huge, cross-border operation was established in 2014. It is only possible because of a UN mandate.
The renewal was originally scheduled to take place in New York's Security Council session on 7 July. However, as the day progressed, the timing kept changing. Diplomats acknowledged that they would have to shift the vote into the following day. This should have been a holiday for Eid al-Adha.
There were only two votes at the end. The first vote was on a compromise between Norway and Ireland. The agreement would have been extended for six months, and automatically renewed for six more if a member decides to terminate it. Russia vetoed this.
Moscow offered an alternative proposal. It was a six-month extension, which would need active renewal and a vote in January 2023. This was subsequently vetoed in turn by France, the USA and Britain.
The result was devastating, and NGOs were quick to respond.
Save the Children's Syria Response Director Tamer Kirolos has asked the Security Council for a reconvenence and to reverse its decision.
He stated, "Make no mistake: The Council's failure of to reauthorise the crossing risks the lives hundreds of thousands children - children who know nothing but conflict and living in camps."
Tjada Oyen McKenna is the chief executive of Mercy Corps. She stated that politics has trumped critical aid to vulnerable Syrians.
"Today, the United Nations Security Council failed north-west Syria's people. She said that millions of people remain in uncertainty, not knowing how they will get life-saving aid, as food prices rise, conflict continues, and economic stagnation continues.
Because the North-West of Syria is not under the control of the government, the UN manages aid transfers there.
Only a very small amount of "cross-line" assistance has been allowed to the Syrian regime. It crosses the frontlines of a country rather than crossing international borders.
Russia has been pushing this as a possible solution. Moscow believes that President Assad's sovereignty should prevail and that Syrians should be responsible for providing humanitarian aid. WFP has not provided food aid via Damascus to more than 50,000 people. The UN and its partners support 1.4 million people from the Turkish crossing hub.
Bab al-Hawa was the only remaining aid route for the past two years. There were once other routes that allowed lorries from Iraq and Jordan to reach Syria. Russia had already used its veto against them.
It is a permanent member, along with the UK and the US, France, China, of the UN Security Council. This means it has the power to block any mandate it wants. It rejected a resolution condemning Russia's invasion in Ukraine a few months back and demanded the withdrawal of troops.
A year ago, there was concern that the Bab Al-Hawa crossing might be closed. This time, however, the story was not about Syria.
2021 saw a last-minute, high level diplomacy between President Joe Biden of the United States and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin. This kept the aid route open. In the past 12 months, however, a lot has been accomplished. The war in Ukraine has further fractured relations between Russia and the US, putting them at their lowest point for many decades.
It is evident how difficult relations have become between Russia and the other members of the Security Council. The fact that New York's timing for this year's vote kept changing - due to insufficient agreement - shows just how complicated Russia's relations with the Security Council. It also highlights the declining US influence in the Middle East just days before Joe Biden's headline trip to the region. This is a setback for increasing Russian power.
It is a huge logistical challenge to transport humanitarian aid from Turkey to north west Syria. Every month, approximately 1,000 trucks carrying food, shelter, or essential medicines travel across the border. This has been happening since 2014.
These shipments have increased in number than usual over the past few weeks. Because aid agencies were concerned about the possibility of closing the crossing, they sent extra shipments to build up some surplus.
They can drive straight through the Bab al-Hawa crossing without having to stop like other vehicles. They are on Syrian soil when they drive through Gate Zero's golden dome-topped arches. After they reach their destination, aid agencies pack the food and distribute it among the displaced families.
This conflict has been ongoing for a very long time. Many people have lived in tents for over a decade. Here are the children who were born and raised. They have never known another home except in the tattered canvas tents that make up the displacement camps.
Umm Ali was just one of many Syrians who hoped for more aid.
She says, "Of course, we consider it important and crucial because we don’t have the money or work to secure food there."
Her future, as well as that of millions of other families in north-west Syria who have been displaced, is uncertain.
