WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Senior UN humanitarians have warned that the refugee crisis in Syria is 'deepening and widening', with more than 500,000 fleeing the war in Lebanon, adding to 16.7 million people who have already arrived in the neighboring country seeking refuge.
In a joint statement, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator Ramanathan Balakrishnan pointed out that two in three people in Syria need assistance.
More than 75 per cent of the new arrivals - since war between Israel and Hezbollah fighters escalated in September - are women, children and people with special needs.
'These people have been driven to seek refuge in a country that has already been reeling from over a decade long, protracted humanitarian crisis,' the officials said.
'Most of the new arrivals are being hosted with relatives and friends in communities that are already struggling. They are accessing services offered through the existing humanitarian response mechanisms which are already stretched to their breaking point.'
The United Nations said in a press release that out of a $4.07 billion Syria Humanitarian Response Plan, only 27.5 per cent is funded. Since the launch of the Emergency Appeal in September seeking an additional $324 million, only 10 percent has been secured.
The top UN officials urged the donor community to significantly and urgently increase its support for Syria's humanitarian response.
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