Following a month of relative calm, Aleppo has, again, fallen victim to violence.
Barrel bombs, artillery shells and SSMs (surface-to-surface missiles) are battering the already beleaguered city of Aleppo.
The bombardment, which continues to this day, has heavily hit markets, hospitals and mosques, resulting in over 260 lives lost and even more severely wounded. Five volunteer rescue workers have been killed and strikes on hospitals have resulted in the death of both medical staff and patients. One of the most fatal attacks occurred on Al Quds hospital, the only remaining paediatric centre in Aleppo, causing 65 deaths – two doctors and five nurses were killed in this attack alone, including the city’s last remaining paediatrician.
Life has come to a complete halt for the quarter of a million people still in areas of Aleppo not under blockade. With all schools and educational institutions suspended for fear of being the next target, hospitals and medical centres heavily hit, and the destruction of the city’s main water purification facility, Aleppo is in dire need of aid.
Islamic Relief is one of the very few NGOs with an operational office inside the city, and the field team is continuously monitoring the situation and reporting back the city’s requirements.
Right now, Aleppo is lacking food, clean water and medicine.
With the most recent round of bombings having crippled the healthcare system, Islamic Relief’s field team has been mobilising the delivery of medical supplies in the city. Providing basic materials like rice, flour and water to bakeries will allow them to continue feeding the local community. With just one route into Aleppo, a very dangerous road prone to attack by snipers and bombs, getting these bare necessities inside the city is risky but fundamental.
Islamic Relief has been providing essential humanitarian assistance in Aleppo since 2012.