The devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake near the Turkey-Syria border in the early hours of Monday 6 February 2023 was followed by another one nearly as strong. The earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria caused one of the biggest disasters to impact the region in recent times. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and many more have been injured. Thousands of buildings have collapsed, leaving countless people exposed to unforgiving winter conditions. Schools and hospitals have been destroyed.

According to the United Nations, 8.8 million people have been affected by the earthquake disaster in Syria.

"The majority is anticipated to need some form of humanitarian assistance," UN Deputy Syria Representative Najat Rochdi wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "The UN is fully committed to doing more to help all Syrians," she said.

Activists and aid workers in rebel-held areas in north-western Syria have complained of a lack of UN assistance in the days following the February 6 quakes.

During a visit to the region, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths admitted that the UN had failed to help the victims in the north-western opposition areas.

Observers also saw bureaucratic hurdles for the UN, whose goods could have arrived faster with smaller vehicles than with the usual large trucks in view of the war-torn region's broken roads.

So far, more than 140 trucks carrying UN aid have travelled from Turkey to rebel-held north-western Syria since the disaster, where more than 9,000 buildings were completely or partially destroyed, causing at least 11,000 people to lose their homes.

According to the UN, the most urgent needs of those affected now include shelter such as tents.