Renewed Strikes in Aleppo Kills 141 in East, 16 in West – Observatory

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, which monitors the war, reportedly could not confirm that chlorine gas was used. A United Nations investigative team has said the government used chlorine as a chemical weapon on at least two occasions during the 5 ½-year conflict.

People ride a cart pulled by a horse near the damaged al-Hakeem hospital, in the rebel-held besieged area of Aleppo, Syria November 19, 2016.

Medics and residents in rebel-held areas have often accused the Syrian military of using chlorine in barrel bomb attacks on their areas, but the difficulty of reaching besieged districts makes it hard for worldwide agencies to verify this.

The allegations could not be independently verified. The Syrian regime denies using chlorine gas bombs, which would violate the worldwide Chemical Weapons Convention.

CNN reported that the death toll had risen to 300.

The recent bombardment has left streets deserted, with people trying to shelter in their homes.

Fresh fighting shook Syria’s Aleppo on Sunday with a rebel attack killing at least eight children at a school, as the UN’s envoy struggled to push peace efforts in Damascus.

Syria’s Al-Watan daily, which is close to the government, described the neighbourhood as the “biggest and most important stronghold of the gunmen” in Aleppo.

Around 250,000 people have been under siege in the eastern part of Aleppo, Syria’s second city and its economic hub before the war erupted in March 2011.

It has created a humanitarian crisis where supplies of food, water, medicine and fuel are severely depleted as winter approaches. Hospitals and blood banks are near nonexistent.

Activists circulated footage they said showed the children, in which the four siblings lay lifeless on a stone floor, among them a little girl with her hair in pigtails wearing a blue jumper with a cartoon animal on it.

The UN has pushed to get into the area to deliver aid, and on Sunday it announced it had designed a detailed humanitarian plan to provide assistance and medical evacuations from Syria.

“For the first time, eastern Aleppo is out of hospitals operating at full capacity”, said Dr. Mazen Kewara, director of the Syrian American Medical Society’s Turkey office. The attack forced the staff to shut down the hospital.

But he says Mr Moallem denied any bombing of hospitals.

These were the harrowing scenes in a Syrian children’s hospital as it was hit by an airstrike. The deaths come as the Syrian regime steps up its bid to oust opposition fighters from the city.

It is uncertain whether any of the hospitals will be able to reopen, leaving eastern Aleppo residents dependent on small clinics.

It is unclear how many children have died in the attacks, but at least four were reported killed in strikes on Wednesday.

A teacher was also killed and at least 32 people were injured. He said he has hidden in a shelter for two days because of the heavy airstrikes.

“At this stage, we’re going to need a change in how all parties think about this in order for us to end the situation there”, Obama said: “There’s no doubt that there will continue to be extremist forces in and around Syria because it’s still going to be in chaos for quite some time”.