Ongoing displacement witnessed in the besieged Ghouta with increasing the number of civilian casualties in it to more than 660 casualties including about 250 children and women

Rif Dimashq Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the violent clashes are continuing between the regime forces backed by armed militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against the fighters of Jaysh Al-Islam, in areas in the south-eastern and eastern sections of the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, following the continuation of the attack by the regime forces to achieve further advancement, expand their control and go deep into the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the regime forces managed to achieve advancement under a cover of intensive aerial and ground shelling, as these forces managed to take the control of Beit Nayem town, Ash’ari Farms and its outskirts, the outskirts of Hosh Qubaybat Farms and farms related to Beit Sawa town, after they managed to take the control of Nashabiyah, Hazrama, Hosh Al-Dawahra, Hosh Al-Zriqiyyeh, Al-Shifonyyah, Hosh Al-Khanim and other farms as well as the Air Defense Regiment and the Regiment 274, thus, the regime forces have controlled more than 25% of the total area of the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus since they started their attack on the 25th of February 2018, until today the 4th of March 2018, and less than 6 km remained separating the regime forces advanced from the east of the besieged Ghouta, from reaching the Vehicle Department located in the western section of the Eastern Ghouta near Harasta city, and if the regime forces managed to cover this distance, then they will divide the Eastern Ghouta into 2 parts, one of which includes the towns of Douma and Harasta and Al-Rihan farms, while the other includes the towns and the cities controlled by Al-Rahman Corps and some of the areas controlled by Jaysh Al-Islam.

And the clashes, the intensive bombardment and the violent ground shelling resulted in the fall of more human losses in the ranks of the both parties, raising to 83 at least including several officers and a local commander in the “Tiger’s” forces, the number of the members of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them whose death has been documented by the Syrian Observatory until now during the clashes of the Eastern Ghouta, it also documented the death of 54 fighters at least of Jaysh Al-Islam who have been killed since the 25th of February 2018, until now, while in has increased to 6 including a woman, the number of casualties whose death was documented by the Syrian Observatory as a result of the aerial and ground shelling on the towns of Beit Sawa, Kafr Batna, Mesraba and Al-Ash’ari, while the SOHR monitored the continuation of the displacement of citizens and families from the areas near the clashes towards Douma city and areas away from the clashes and the battle fronts, after the area witnessed during the past 24 hours, displacement of hundreds of families from Nashabiyah, Hazrma, Otaya, Beit Sawa Farms, Ash’ari Farms, Mesraba Farms, towards areas away from the combat operations, between Jaysh Al-Islam against the regime forces and their allies, while the destiny of some families who contact was lost with them during displacement from the area, is still unknown, while there is anticipation for the entry of humanitarian and alimentary aid to the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, according to the details of the truce, where aid is expected to be entered the besieged Ghouta during the next few hours.

Thus, it has increased to 662 persons of the citizens of the Eastern Ghouta, including 154 children and 95 women, who have been killed by the aerial, rocket and artillery shelling on the cities and towns of Douma, Harasta, Arbin, Zamalka, Hamouriyah, Jesrin, Kafr Batna, Hazza, Ash’ari, Nashabiyah, Aftries, Otaya, Al-Shifonyyah, Al-Marj area, Mesraba, Madyara, Beit Sawa, and other areas in the besieged Ghouta of Damascus, and the shelling during this period which completed 2 weeks since it started, resulted in the injury of more than 3600 citizens including hundreds of children and citizen women with varying severity, some of them have permanent disabilities, while the bodies of tens of citizens are still under the rubble of destruction caused by the aerial, rocket and artillery shelling by the regime forces on the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, and the total death toll documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, includes 130 casualties including 27 children and 19 women who were killed and documented by the SOHR after the resolution of the UNSC, which failed again to stop the killing of the people of the Eastern Ghouta, and the shelling resulted in the fall of hundreds of wounded, where the number of casualties may increase because of the presence of serious injuries, amid the tragic humanitarian situation of the people of Ghouta, who intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that they do not leave the shelters for fear of the intensive shelling, amid inability of the medical staff to relieve all medical cases, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the bombardment of the warplanes and helicopters as well as the intensive shelling on the Eastern Ghouta, resulted in getting 10 hospitals and medical points out of service as a result of their targeting in Saqba, Douma, Beit Sawa, Jesrin, Arbin and other areas in the Eastern Ghouta, to decrease the ability of medical capacity even more, and crowd the places with the wounded who flock as a result of heavy and ongoing shelling by the regime forces, led by the Brigadier Suhail Al-Hassan.

Link of a high resolution map shows the advancement of the regime forces and their allies into the depth of the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus and their control over more than 25% of the total area of the besieged Ghouta since the start of their attack on the 25th of February 2018