The UN on Wednesday (October 10th) urged warring parties in Syria to allow basic health service deliveries to tens of thousands of increasingly desperate Syrians trapped in the desert near the Jordanian border, AFP reported.

UNICEF said Wednesday that two babies without access to hospitals had died in the past 48 hours near al-Rukban border crossing.

"Once again, UNICEF appeals to all parties to the conflict in Syria and those who have influence over them, to allow and facilitate access to basic services including health for children and families," said the agency's Middle East and North Africa director, Geert Cappelaere.

"This is the very minimum for human dignity."

The UN last year said an estimated 45,000 people were trapped in al-Rukban, an informal refugee camp near Syria's borders with Jordan and Iraq.

While one clinic on the Jordanian side of the border continues to treat urgent cases, the situation demands more sophisticated health care that is "only available in hospitals", the UN said.

The situation for al-Rukban residents "will further worsen with the cold winter months fast approaching, especially when temperatures dip below freezing point", Cappelaere said.