DAMASCUS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 25 truckloads of aid started to move toward the rebel-held areas in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Syria's capital Damascus on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

The aid convoy was sent to the rebel-held Douma district in Eastern Ghouta in cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations.

It's the third aid convoy to enter Douma since the military operations in Eastern Ghouta started late last month.

Last Friday, 13 truckloads of aid entered Douma with 2,400 food parcels and 3,240 bags of wheat flour.

The UN humanitarian agencies have sounded alarm about the worsening humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta, where activists said more than 1,000 people have been killed in the heavy bombardment since a military showdown between rebels and the government forces since late February.

The Syrian army has captured over 62 percent of Eastern Ghouta in recent days, as part of an ongoing wide-scale offensive to dislodge rebels from the key areas on the eastern rim of Damascus.