The government completely closed the main road into the rebel-held areas of Aleppo on July 17, effectively cutting off all supplies and exit routes. De Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
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Russian Federation has announced a three-hour daily ceasefire to allow humanitarian and aid deliveries, although it is not yet clear whether the rebels have agreed to respect the halt in hostilities.
Khaled Harah, a first responder in the rebel-held part of Aleppo, said a government helicopter dropped four barrel bombs on the neighborhood of Zabadieh and that one of them released chlorine gas, leading to the deaths of a mother and her two children.
The United Nations has been calling for a weekly 48-hour pause in the fighting to access Aleppo.
Mevlut Cavusoglu said in interview with Turkey’s private NTV television on Wednesday that Ankara “will again, in an active manner, with its planes take part in operations” against IS targets.
The offensive sought to break a siege by pro-government forces, who encircled the east in July with the support of Russian aircraft.
“These cuts are coming amid a heatwave, putting children at a grave risk of waterborne diseases”, Hanaa Singer, UNICEF’s representative in Syria, said in a statement.
“To this end, we once again urge Russian Federation to stop facilitating these sieges, and to use its influence to press the regime to end its sieges across Syria once and for all”, Power said.
Insurgents on Saturday broke through to besieged eastern Aleppo in an assault on a major government military complex on the city’s southwestern outskirts, opening a corridor to reconnect to rebel areas in western Syria. Russian Federation had retaliated by deploying long-range air defense missile systems to its base in Syria, 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the border with Turkey and imposing an array of economic sanctions.
The report, which was posted online on Thursday, could not be independently verified and it was not clear how it was determined that chlorine gas was released.
Syrian rebel fighters have rejected claims that government forces and its allies, including fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah armed group, have taken back control of parts of Aleppo recently captured by rebels.
Aleppo has seen intense fighting recently between rebels and Russian-backed Syrian government forces.
“I’m at home and I don’t dare to leave – the jets are not letting up”, Wissam Zarqa told the AP. “The U.N.is extremely concerned that the consequences will be dire for millions of civilians if the electricity and water networks are not immediately repaired”, said the statement signed by Yacoub El Hillo, U.N. resident coordinator for Syria, and Kevin Kennedy, regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis.
Mr Khatib said he was saving pieces of patients’ clothing and pieces of the bombs as evidence.
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Reports of the bombing on the neighbourhood were confirmed by war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, according to the Guardian.
