Humanitarian Appeal from Eastern Ghouta
“Can you help us … Why don’t you help us?” this is the call that N.H. from the city of Douma has sent to the international community. N.H. is a woman from Douma who has been in a small basement along with a big group of women and children since the beginning of the military campaign. She says:
“Everyone is frightened and terrified. Life has almost stopped except for the sound of aircraft and bombings. The children are crying, frightened and uncomfortable all the time from the darkness and the narrow space. Believe me, as much as I describe it, the situation is still nothing comparing to reality. Stopping the war and leaving this cold basement is all what we want. The smell of humidity and blood is all over the place. We are concerned about the children because a lot of them are sick and infections are transmitted from one child to another. There is no medicine and the milk is almost gone…. We are civilians, why doesn’t the world believe that we are civilians and we want to live? We want you to tell the world about what is happening to us…We know that you can … I swear…We are civilians and threatened every moment with the fall of a missile or a shell that kills us all.”
Today, Monday 26th of February 2018, it has been a week since the military campaign led by the Syrian government and its allies started on the Eastern Ghouta. Up to the moment, more than 550 victims have been documented including more than 100 children, in addition to hundreds of injuries. In addition, the six hospitals and 17 medical centers in Eastern Ghouta have been hit by shellin, putting them out of service.
The humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta is deteriorating rapidly and continuously, and warns of a humanitarian catastrophe, unless the United Nations moves to stop the war or forces a truce that allows humanitarian assistance to enter.
The Syrian Civic Platform calls on the Security Council to implement resolution 2401 and all relevant resolutions in order to not turn a blind eye.
