A street in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Syria

New York, (IINA) : The United Nations voiced concern over the impact of deteriorating security and humanitarian situation on the lives of some 400,000 people trapped in Syria’s eastern Ghouta, underlining the need to ensure that humanitarians have unrestricted access to the affected areas.

“There have been continued reports of heavy aerial bombardment and artillery shelling which have resulted in civilian deaths and injuries,” UN Secretary General’s spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told the regular daily briefing here on Tuesday.

According to reports, the Syrian regime’s forces have prevented commercial trucks from entering the opposition-held Ghouta, located in rural Damascus, since late March. Lack of supplies has resulted in price hikes of basic staples and closures of many bakeries due to lack of flour and much higher prices for fuel and gas.

“It is critical that the UN and partners be given access to the area before the conditions deteriorate further,” the UN spokesman underscored.

“We also remind all parties of their obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure as required by international humanitarian and human rights law,” he added.

UN News reported that the last UN humanitarian delivery to any of the besieged areas of eastern Ghouta was in October last year, with other areas not having been accessed since last June.