Syrian Minister of Health Hassan Al-Ghobash speaking to Al Mayadeen

The Syrian Minister of Health, Hassan Al-Ghobash, announced today, Sunday, that the death toll from the earthquake in the areas under state control is 1,414 deaths and 2,349 injuries.

Syrian Minister of Health Hassan Al-Ghobash to #AlMayadeen: The death toll from the #earthquake in the areas under state control is 1,414 deaths and 2,349 injuries.#Syria #earthquakeinsyria https://t.co/O82ZvmtDcg
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 12, 2023

In an interview for Al Mayadeen, Al-Ghobash said, “We have clear directives to provide medical aid to all Syrian citizens throughout the Syrian territory.”

Syrian Minister of Health Hassan Al-Ghobash to #AlMayadeen: We have clear directives to provide medical assistance to all Syrian citizens throughout the #Syrian territory.#Earthquake #earthquakeinsyria https://t.co/4pOCY5uKyw
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 12, 2023

This comes as the Turkish-backed, rebranded Al-Nusra Front (Al-Qaeda in Syria), Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) terrorist organization is holding up aid meant for Syria and sent in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit the country on Monday, a United Nations spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday.

Damascus said last week that it was willing to send aid into the country's north, which is held by various armed groups and terrorist organizations. The North is largely under the control of the terrorist HTS group.

However, yesterday, the United Nations Office in Damascus asked the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to postpone the entry of the aid convoy to Idlib, the governorate outside the Syrian state control, which was scheduled for today.

A convoy carrying Syrian aid was preparing to enter Idlib through the Saraqib border crossing and was waiting for UN representatives to hand over the relief aid to Idlib, Syrian informed sources told Al Mayadeen on Thursday.

Relief operations continue in the affected areas of Syria, as a result of the earthquake, and international and local aid deliveries continue for the seventh day in a row.

ICRC regional spokesperson: Relief operations not up to the level of the disaster in Syria

In the same context, the regional spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Iman Traboulsi, said the organization is facing the fragile Syrian infrastructure mainly due to the war and the danger of politicizing humanitarian aid.

Iman Traboulsi indicated, in a statement for Al Mayadeen, that "the relief operations lag behind the level of the disaster in Syria."

The Spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the Near and Middle East, Iman Traboulsi, to #AlMayadeen: Rescue operations lag behind the level of the disaster in #Syria.#earthquake #earthquakeinsyria https://t.co/4HCUWjRcoG
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 12, 2023

She further explained that "the Red Cross plan is to provide aid across all Syrian territory," noting that "the organization is in dialogue with all parties to provide humanitarian aid."

This comes as the death toll from the earthquake that struck Syria rose to more than 4,000 on Saturday, with many still under the rubble.