Vice-president of the Syrian Coalition Abdul Rahman Mustafa denounced the massacre the Assad regime committed by shelling a children’s school in the town of Jisreen in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta on Tuesday. At least seven civilians, mostly schoolchildren, were killed and many others were wounded in the shelling on the school. The massacre coincided with the launch of a new round of talks in the Kazakh capital Astana, of which previous rounds resulted in the “de-escalation zones” agreement.
Mustafa called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to stop the crimes being committed by Assad with the help of Russia and Iran; to lift the siege of eastern Ghouta; and save its people and children.
Regime forces also carried out artillery shelling on the town of Misraba, killing four civilians, including two children and the injury of several civilians. The towns of Harasta, Douma, Ayn Tarma as well as the district of Jobar in eastern Damascus were also subjected to similar attacks. Civil defense workers checked the damage caused by the shelling and evacuated the wounded from the areas targeted by shelling.
Local non-governmental organizations in eastern Ghouta demanded that guarantors of the “de-escalation zones” agreement fulfil their commitments and exert pressure to ensure humanitarian aid is allowed to reach civilians trapped in eastern Ghouta. The NGOs called for the immediate opening of crossings to allow the entry of goods and medical evacuation for those who are critically ill and wounded.
The NGOs also called for the establishment of a permanent medical center in eastern Ghouta by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to be protected from bombardment by Russian and the Assad regime forces. They stressed that the center is urgently needed to provide necessary health care for hundreds of children who are on the verge of dying of starvation and disease. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
