There are only 31 doctors and 3 dentists left in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, home to about 300,000 civilians, said Dr. Tawfik Chamaa, of the Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organisations (UOSSM).
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Undersecretary-General Stephen O’Brien said Thursday that his proposal for weekly 48-hour humanitarian pauses to enable aid deliveries across borders and conflict lines “is what we as humanitarians require”.
But residents in the besieged city are skeptical and reluctant.
“Any initiative that can give civilians respite from the hostilities – such as from the intense and indiscriminate fighting we have seen recently on all sides – and allows them to leave for safer areas can be positive”.
State TV said fliers had already been dropped on rebel-held parts of Aleppo, urging people to take up the offer – which includes temporary accommodation.
Shoigu said in televised comments that President Vladimir Putin has ordered a “large-scale humanitarian operation” that will be launched outside Aleppo to help civilians as well as allow fighters who wanted to lay down the arms to surrender.
“The ministers solemnly called upon the Syrian regime’s allies to bring an immediate end to these operations which violate the truce agreed in Munich, and worldwide law”, they said in a joint statement after a meeting in Paris.
Russian Federation and Syrian refer to most rebel groups as “terrorists”.
“Syria and Russian Federation should provide civilians with safe exit routes, but these routes can’t be used to presume that no civilians remain or to justify attacks against those who do”, said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director.
President Bashar al-Assad also offered an amnesty for rebels who surrender within three months.
Assad has issued several amnesties in recent years, including one in July 2015 for people who have dodged service or defected from the army.
Alison adds that the supposed offer of amnesty has been met with some skepticism.
Residents in rebel-held neighborhoods in the city’s eastern sections have told CNN that they are going hungry, and have received text messages from the regime telling them to leave.
‘As a result a hard humanitarian situation developed in the city of Aleppo and around’. However, he said, “all options must be considered”.
“No one can be forced to flee, by any specific route or to any particular location”, said O’Brien.
American envoy Samantha Power tweeted (at)AmbassadorPower that the “chilling letter… warns Syrians to leave E Aleppo & entrust lives to gov that’s bombed & starved them”.
Abu Ans, the administration manager of a besieged hospital, said Thursday that the situation was “very bad”. But when they arrived, regime forces fired a fresh round of artillery.
“Many patients who have died could have been saved – they died because of the lack of medical supplies and equipment”.
Fliers dropped on eastern Aleppo show corridors to government areas, according to Ibrahim Haj, who directs the media office.
The UN’s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said this week he hoped peace talks aimed at ending more than five years of brutal conflict could resume at the end of August. He is seriously concerned about Aleppo, saying that the city is de facto besieged, because it is nearly completely encircled militarily.
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“Another 77 settlements signed an agreement on ceasefire over the last three days”.
