Dozens killed in single day in Syrian enclave of eastern Ghouta

At least 77 people have been killed in the besieged Syrian enclave of eastern Ghouta on Monday – the deadliest day for civilians there since the UN security council demanded an immediate ceasefire and Russia’s president ordered a daily five-hour truce in the area.

A further 12 people were killed on Sunday but their bodies were only recovered on Monday, doctors said.

The intense violence continued despite the arrival of a humanitarian convoy in the enclave, two weeks into a renewed regime offensive that has killed more than 700 civilians.

The convoy of 46 trucks – a joint effort by the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the United Nations – was allowed to deliver food for about 27,000 of the 400,000 people trapped in the enclave.

It was the first aid delivery to the reach eastern Ghouta in weeks, but humanitarian officials said the Syrian military had refused to allow it to bring in critically needed medical supplies.

Ongoing shelling in the area forced the convoy to leave before all the food aid was unloaded.

Pawel Krzysiek, the head of communications for the ICRC in Syria said the situation for civilians trapped inside eastern Ghouta was “very precarious.”

Source: theguardian