The U.N.'s World Food Program warned that malnutrition and hunger have been surging in Syria, where over half of the country's population lacks food after 12 years of conflict, economic challenges and last month's earthquakes.

"The situation is worse than ever in Syria," the United Nations agency's Middle East director, Corrine Fleischer, told Reuters on Wednesday.

About 55% of Syria's population of some 12.1 million people are food insecure and a further 2.9 million are at risk of sliding into hunger, a WFP report said.

Data show malnutrition is rising and that stunting and maternal malnutrition rates are at unprecedented levels.

"We're very, very concerned that hunger is on a steep rise in Syria," Fleischer said.

Twin earthquakes in February which killed at least 53,000 across Syria and Türkiye came on top of the social and economic hardship of 12 years of war and a weakening Syrian pound.

Aid is currently reaching northwest Syria through three border crossings with Türkiye.

"What we need is the internal crossing points to open. We are still negotiating this with the local authorities on the ground," Fleischer said.

The WFP will have to drastically reduce the number of people it helps from July if more donor funding does not come through, the agency has said.