“The humanitarian community has stressed time and time again that people must not be denied life-saving help and that the fighting has to stop,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said in a statement.

Humanitarian agencies have been denied access to Moadamiyeh for months, the statement noted. Although the evacuation of more than 3,000 people took place today, the same number or more remain trapped. There are reports of continued shelling and fighting in the area, preventing the completion of the rescue operation.

“I call on all parties to agree an immediate pause in hostilities in Moadamiyeh to allow humanitarian agencies unhindered access to evacuate the remaining civilians and deliver life-saving treatment and supplies in areas where fighting and shelling is ongoing,” said Amos, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Those already evacuated from Moadamiyeh received immediate assistance from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, UN humanitarian agencies and partners, local businesses and private individuals, including food, medical treatment and psycho-social support.

Amos said she continues to be “extremely worried” by the situation unfolding across Syria where ordinary women, children and men are facing horrific violence and brutality from all sides of the conflict.

Thousands of families also remain trapped in other locations across Syria, for example in Nubil, Zahra, old Aleppo town, old Homs town and Hassakeh.“Civilians must be allowed to move to safer areas without the fear of attack,” stressed Amos.

“It is vital that all parties to the conflict respect their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian laws to protect civilians and to allow neutral, impartial humanitarian organizations safe access to all people in need, wherever they are in Syria.”

The conflict, which began in March 2011, has claimed over 100,000 lives, sent more than 2 million people fleeing for safety to neighbouring countries and displaced 4.5 million within Syria.

“As the conflict continues, Syrians in areas affected by the violence are struggling to feed their families and WFP is deeply concerned about the potential for food insecurity,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.

In a statement, the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP) said that it was expanding its assistance at the request of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and stood ready to increase its humanitarian mission in the country further “when access permits.”

U.N. aid agencies have been banned from entering Syria but a joint assessment mission carried out last month with Syrian authorities estimated that at least one million people needed humanitarian aid, reuters reports.

WFP has been providing food assistance for up to 100,000 people a month in cities such as Homs, Hama, Idleb and Damascus. It also began distributing food to Syrian refugees living in neighbouring Jordan.

WFP’s emergency operation for Syria began in August 2011 with a budget currently estimated at US$37.4 million and it is still seeking funding, as so far less than half that amount has been secured.

More than 9,000 people have died in Syria in 13 months of fighting sparked by a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. The U.N. Security Council approved on Saturday the deployment of up to 300 unarmed military observers to monitor a ceasefire which remains “incomplete” according to Secretary-Genral, Ban Ki Moon.

Nearly 60 people were killed on Monday in violence across Syria, the majority of them civilians in the central city of Hama, according to the Syrian Local Coordination Committee, on Tuesday.