The UN's World Food Programme raised alarm on Tuesday that escalating violence in Syria could derail a fragile truce that has helped facilitate increased aid deliveries.
In an interview with AFP in Damascus, the WFP's deputy regional head Matthew Hollingworth said the UN and aid agencies hoped the truce - which came into force on February 27 - could hold.
"The ceasefire has been so important over the last weeks because it has given people a lot more than simply access to markets, access to assistance. It has given them hope," Hollingworth said.
"The end of the ceasefire would dash that hope," he said.