A total of 55 health facilities in the affected area were either fully or partially damaged due to the earthquakes.

Qatar and Italy discussed efforts to provide much-needed humanitarian aid to Syria following the deadly earthquakes that struck the country on 6 February, on Sunday.

The discussions came during a meeting in Doha between Qatar’s Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah Al Khater and Italy’s Special Envoy for the Syrian Crisis and the Anti-Daesh Coalition, Stefano Ravagnan.

“During the meeting, they discussed bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries, situation developments in Syria, and the possible efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the fraternal people of Syria after the earthquake disaster,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The meeting came as Qatar continues to extend a helping hand to Syria and Turkey following the earthquakes, the worst to hit the area in a century. At least 50,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced.

Last week, the Qatar Fund for Development’s (QFFD)’s earthquake aid to Turkey and Syria reached 201.8 million QAR.

QFFD joined the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, to help with search and rescue operations. Volunteer medics were further deployed to help with complex surgeries.

According to the World Bank, Aleppo province was the hardest hit by the earthquake where 60% of damages were reported, followed by Idlib and Latakia.

“The recent earthquake exacerbates the already dire consequences of the 12 year-long conflict for the people of Syria”, Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Country Director for the Middle East Department, said on Saturday.

Earlier this month, a United Nations report noted that areas in northwest Syria had high death rates and injuries, including Afrin, Harim and Jisr-Alshugour.

At least 2.9 million people have been affected in northwest Syria and 302,500 are estimated to have been displaced.

Aid delivery was hindered due to the destruction caused by the earthquake and the Syrian Bashar Al Assad regime.

An estimated 583 aid trucks have been able to cross to northwest Syria since the earthquakes through the Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al Salameh and Al Ra’ee border crossings.

Meanwhile, the health sector has been struggling to keep pace with the large number of casualties and injuries.

A total of 55 health facilities in the affected areas were either fully or partially damaged due to the earthquakes.

For 12 years, Syria has been ravaged by conflict and instability under the Assad regime.

Qatar has repeatedly expressed its support for investigations into crimes committed against Syrians since the 2011 revolution, widely known as the Arab Spring.

The Gulf state has long called for a political resolution in Syria while refusing to normalise with the Bashar Al Assad regime.

The Assad regime caused a refugee crisis, with millions of Syrians unable to return back to the country in fear of torture, forced disappearance or detainment.

According to the United Nations, there are 5,424,773 registered refugees scattered in neighbouring countries.