DAMASCUS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The first relief aid shipment entered the Eastern Ghouta area in east of Damascus on Tuesday, as part of a U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement, activists said.
Several trucks loaded with food and medical supplies reached Eastern Ghouta through the Wafidee Camp crossing in northern Damascus.
The aid delivery is part of the de-escalation deal reached between the U.S. and Russia, which started this month in Eastern Ghouta.
Also, Russia has deployed military police forces at the separation line between the rebels and the Syrian army to observe the implementation of the ceasefire.
The opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta is in one of the four proposed "de-escalation zones" designated in an agreement reached in May by Syrian government's allies Iran and Russia with Turkey, which supports the opposition.
However, the deal wasn't fully implemented over disagreements on the monitoring mechanism of the de-escalation zones in the four Syrian areas.
Earlier this month, a ceasefire deal reached by the U.S. and Russia went into force in southern Syrian areas. It was seen as a prelude to fixing the ceasefire in the de-escalation zones before reaching any political settlement to the country's long-running conflict.
Later on, both powers agreed to include Eastern Ghouta in their new ceasefire deal.
Eastern Ghouta is a sprawling terrain, largely agricultural land, which was among the first areas to fall into the hands of the rebels in the early days of the six-plus-year conflict.
The Rebels in Ghouta have been responsible for the blind mortar shellings that targeted the capital city on a daily basis.
Several truces failed to take hold in that area, until last May when the de-escalation zones' deal went into force. This has largely contributed to a sharp decrease in the attacks against the capital.
