Four People Dead, 55 Injured After Alleged Gas Attack on Eastern Aleppo

A suspected chlorine gas attack killed at least four people in rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

In addition, some 55 people suffered injuries and difficulty breathing after barrel bombs believed to be filled with toxic gas fell on the neighborhood of Zubdiya, a hospital manager told Reuters. Helicopters dropped the barrel bombs on the eastern neighborhoods of Saif al-Dawla and Zubdiya, according to the monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The hospital manager added that he was saving bomb fragments and parts of patients’ clothing to be analyzed in order to identify the suspected toxic gas.

Both government and rebel forces have denied using chemical weapons in the now six-year conflict.

Russia Declares Daily Three-Hour Cease-Fires in Aleppo

There will be daily three-hour cease-fires in Aleppo to allow aid deliveries, a Russian defense ministry official announced on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The United Nations said it would take the proposal, which detailed a daily cessation of hostilities from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting Thursday, into consideration. Rebels are doubtful of the plan, a military spokesman from the Nour al-Din al-Zinki group told Reuters, criticizing the three-hour length of the proposed cease-fires.

Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoi said Russia is examining shared control of aid deliveries on the Castello Road with the U.S. and the U.N.

All military action, both ground and air, would be stopped for these three-hour periods, Rudskoi said, adding that Moscow would coordinate with Damascus to implement safe deliveries.

“This is to ensure that all interested organizations have the opportunity to deliver their humanitarian assistance to the residents of Aleppo,” Rudskoi said in a televised briefing.

Intense fighting in Aleppo has left nearly 2 million people at risk, without sufficient food supplies or running water, the U.N. warned on Tuesday. The U.N. had called for weekly 48-hour cease-fires to allow aid deliveries to both government- and rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

Aleppo city has been divided into a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012. The eastern neighborhoods fell under siege in July after a Russian-backed government advance cut off their last supply route, the Castello Road. There are no safe passages for civilians as clashes and airstrikes continue.

Markets and Restaurants Back in Business in Eastern Aleppo

Residents in rebel-held Aleppo rushed to the markets on Wednesday, stocking up on food and cigarettes, Agence France-Presse reported.

Shops and restaurants reopened after having been closed for nearly a month. A government advance in early July had effectively placed the eastern rebel-held parts of Aleppo under siege, leading to a surge in prices and supply shortages. A rebel offensive on the southwestern districts of the city was able to break the siege over the weekend, although continued fighting and airstrikes are still too intense to provide for safe passage.

Trucks bearing fruits, vegetables and other food supplies are trickling through, residents told Agence France-Presse. Cigarette prices dropped from 1,500 Syrian pounds per pack during the siege to 300 yesterday.

The United Nations has repeatedly asked for 48-hour cease-fires in the war-torn city to allow for sufficient aid deliveries.

Recommended Reads

• The Washington Post: Battle for Aleppo May Be the Most Crucial of the Syrian Civil War
• The New York Times: What Russia and Turkey Bring to Syria
• The Associated Press: Turkey Unlikely to Drop Syria Rebels in Latest Realignment
• The Washington Institute: Aleppo: Is the Turnaround Sustainable for the Rebels?
• Voice of America: Many Americans Fighting in Iraq, Syria Are Foes of IS