Thousands of civilians have been evacuated from besieged east Aleppo and thousands more are preparing to leave under a truce deal.



According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, 5,000 civilians left the besieged districts in 75 buses on Monday.

Another 25 buses were ready to take more people to the rebel-held town of Rashideen in countryside to the west of the city.

“These were the worst days we endured,” said Abu Jaafar, a doctor who left the city and arrived in Rashideen on Monday. “This week was terrible, people were in the streets, and most of the houses they lived in had been destroyed.

“When people were ready to be evacuated they stood in their tens of thousands in a square in the harsh cold, many of them children and women. There was nothing of the basics of life – little food, warmth and no shelter. All you heard was the screams and tears of children.”

The evacuations resumed on Monday after four days of limbo, when it looked like the truce might unravel over the intransigence of Iran and its proxy militias on the government’s side and al-Qaida-linked militants on the rebel side.

The deal, brokered after intense shuttle diplomacy and pressure from Turkey and Russia, initially broke down over Iranian demands for a simultaneous evacuation of Fua and Kefraya, two Shia pro-government villages that have been besieged by rebels for years.

After rebels acceded to the demands, they were stymied by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the powerful al-Qaida-linked group, which initially refused to accept the deal. Fighters linked to the group torched buses that were meant to transport people from Fua and Kefraya on Sunday, once again putting the deal at risk.

But 500 people were eventually evacuated from the villages on Monday, allowing the evacuations from east Aleppo to resume.

A source with knowledge of the deal said Russian insistence on securing the evacuation agreement was the key element that prevented the talks from falling apart. Russia, a key ally of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, helped level much of east Aleppo in the months leading up to the regime’s assault, which was spearheaded by Shia militias backed by Tehran.

Moscow wishes to anchor itself as a global power with the diplomatic prowess to bring an end to the fighting in the country.

Among those who were rescued was Bana al-Abed, a seven-year-old girl whose tweets about life in east Aleppo under bombardment captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of people on social media, including prominent figures such as the author JK Rowling.

Humanitarian workers in the area published images showing a smiling Bana on their shoulders, wearing a winter jacket and woollen head cover. Her tweets had drawn attention to the suffering of east Aleppo’s residents, and there were fears that she might be killed or fall into the hands of government forces.

Bana al-Abed photographed with Syrian journalist Hadi al Abdallah on Monday

Nearly 50 children who had been trapped in an orphanage were evacuated on Monday, the United Nations children’s agency said. Some were in a critical condition from injuries and dehydration, Unicef’s regional director told Reuters.

The UN security council unanimously passed a resolution to deploy international observers to the city. The evacuation has so far been supervised by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.



In the rebel-controlled areas of Aleppo, 13,000 civilians and the majority of fighters have now been evacuated. Refugees on buses sent desperate messages on Sunday night describing terrible conditions as they were held for hours with dwindling water and food.



Those still in east Aleppo, most of which fell under government control in a rapid offensive, are enduring harsh winter weather as they await rescue through the evacuation deal.

“The people we are welcoming have been through hell – the level of trauma they have experienced is impossible to describe or comprehend,” said Casey Harrity, the director of programmes at Mercy Corps, which is providing aid to civilians who have been evacuated. “We are working very hard to ensure they are received with as much dignity and support as possible.”