Syrian family, pupils among dozens killed in Aleppo attacks
Rebel shelling killed eight children at a school in the government-held part of Aleppo on November 20 and a barrel bomb killed a family of six in the rebel-held area, part of a heavy government bombardment that has knocked out all the hospitals.
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| People walk near rubble of damaged buildings, in the rebel-held besieged area of Aleppo, Syria November 19, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail |
On November 20 they advanced into the Hanano district on its northern edge, but rebels said the battle was still continuing and that some of the pro-government forces' gains had been reversed.
The bombardment, one of the most intense in the almost six year-old civil war, has taken a heavy toll on civilians.
Two medics said the al-Baytounji family had suffocated to death because the barrel bomb, which fell in the Sakhour district at about midnight, had been laced with chlorine gas.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, confirmed the bombing but could not confirm that chlorine gas was used. Damascus has denied use of the gas, which would contravene the international Chemical Weapons Convention.
Rebel shelling killed at least eight children, aged from six to 12 years, among 10 deaths in the Saria Hasoun school in al-Farqan district, the Observatory and Syrian state television reported.
The bombardment of eastern Aleppo drew condemnation on November 20 from the EU's humanitarian aid commissioner, Christos Stylianides.
"The relentless bombing of East Aleppo by the Syrian regime in the last few days has now left hundreds of thousands of besieged civilians without access to food and to functioning hospitals," he said.
An official with a rebel group based in east Aleppo said there were still no working hospitals there on November 20, a day after the World Health Organization reported that bombing had put them all out of action.
Hospitals have previously been brought back into service after being knocked out through bombing in the rebel-held area but food supplies are running low.
The military and Russia's air force had paused their bombardment of eastern Aleppo, except for on the frontlines, for two weeks after a month-long offensive from late September to late October, but recommenced strikes on Tuesday.
The army and its allies began some ground attacks on November 18. The Observatory reported intense clashes in Sheikh Saeed in southeast Aleppo and in Baeedain and Bustan al-Basha in northeast Aleppo.
Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, one of the army's main allies in the fighting, said on November 20 that the army and its allies had advanced in Hanano and pro-government forces were bringing big reinforcements to the city. The Observatory confirmed the Hanano advance.
