The UN in Syria appealed on Tuesday (February 6th) for a one-month truce in the conflict to allow aid to reach hundreds of thousands of civilians in urgent need of assistance, AFP reported.

In a statement issued in Damascus, the UN said a humanitarian crisis was unfolding in several parts of the country to which it was not being given access.

The UN's humanitarian co-ordinator and top envoys in Syria called "for an immediate cessation of hostilities lasting for at least one month throughout Syria".

The measure would "enable the delivery of humanitarian aid and services, evacuation of the critically sick and wounded, and alleviation of people's suffering, to the extent possible, wherever they are", the UN said.

It went on to list some of the emergencies across Syria, where conflict has raged uninterrupted for almost seven years, killing more than 300,000 people and displacing millions.

The UN said existing agreements on the delivery of aid were not being honoured and stressed that "if access was granted, three convoys could be dispatched each week, reaching over 700,000 people" in conflict areas in two months.

While the fighting is abating in some parts of the country, the humanitarian crisis is still in full swing and aid groups predict a further 1.5 million people will be displaced in 2018.