Footage From Inside Besieged Syrian Community Shows Terrifying Reality For Thousands Of Civilians

Daraya has been under siege by its own government for more than three years.
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"Please do not leave me," a young Syrian boy weeps to the bloodied corpse of his brother, bound tightly in a white sheet. "Oh, God, it's as if you are telling me my feet are severed."

Amnesty International wants you to get angry.

"Demand aid is sent to Daraya now," the humanitarian organization urges in a heartbreaking new video about the violent crisis unfolding in Syria that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Daraya, an opposition-held suburb in southwestern Damascus, has been under siege for more than three years by its own government. Its long-suffering residents have received no humanitarian aid since the attacks began, and many are starving to death.

Some 6,800 barrel bombs were dropped on Daraya between January 2014 and February 2016, Amnesty notes, citing data collected by the Local Council of Daraya City.

“We used to depend on reserves and we could bring food in from the neighboring town, but since the government tightened the siege we cannot bring in any food or medicine,” Mohamed Shehateh, a member of the council, told Human Rights Watch. The community has no running water or electricity, he added.

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Smoke rises after what activists say were barrel bombs dropped by government forces in Daraya explode. Some 6,800 barrel bombs were dropped there between January 2014 and February 2016.
Omar Abu Bakr/Reuters

Although President Bashar Assad's regime is targeting rebel groups with its onslaught of barrel bombs -- canisters filled with explosives and metal fragments -- civilians are often killed in the path of destruction.

"These are Zeina's toys, and this is her hat and scarf," says a Syrian man featured in the video who is sitting atop the wreckage of a shattered building, flipping through photos of a baby girl. "I got them from under the rubble."

Despite efforts by the United Nations to deliver food and supplies to the besieged community, the Syrian government has continued to restrict access for aid groups. With extremely limited food available, some desperate families have resorted to eating grass, the U.N.'s World Food Program reported. The conditions are so dire, dozens of children formed a giant SOS plea with their bodies in March, begging world leaders to bring an end to the siege.

U.N. humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland estimated a few thousand civilians are in Daraya, in "a very, very difficult position." He said it is a violation of international law for Assad's government to block the humanitarian aid.

While a cease-fire that came into effect on Feb. 27 has reduced fighting in the war-torn country, it has yet to lift humanitarian aid restrictions on some isolated communities including Daraya and Douma, another city just outside the capital.

As many as 4.5 million people in Syria live in "hard-to-reach" locations, the U.N. noted, including up to 400,000 people in 15 besieged areas who do not have access to foreign aid.

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Before You Go

Inside Syria's War
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Civil Defence members put out a fire that spread in an oil refinery in the town of Marat Numan in Idlib province, Syria March 10, 2016. (credit:Khalil Ashawi / Reuters)
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Members of pro-government forces stand in front of a destroyed building in Salma, a town in Latakia province, on Jan. 15, 2016. (credit:YOUSSEF KARWASHAN/AFP/Getty Images)
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Syrian security forces and residents gather near Sayyida Zeinab, a Shia Muslim shrine in Damascus, following a suicide bombing on Jan. 31, 2016. (credit:LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)
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Civil defense team members try to clear the debris of a building after a Russian airstrike on Anadan, a city in the Aleppo Governate, on Feb. 2, 2016. (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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People search through the debris of collapsed buildings following a Russian airstrike on in Atarib, a district in the Aleppo Governate, on Jan. 31, 2016. (credit:Ahmed Hasan Ubeyd/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Smoke rises in Anadan following Russian air strikes on Feb. 2, 2016. (credit:Muhammed Kurab/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Members of Syria's Civil Defense search for people who may have been buried under the wreckage following Russian airstrikes on Aleppo on Feb. 2, 2016. (credit:Muhammed Kurab/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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People search through the wreckage of collapsed buildings following Russian airstrikes in Aleppo on Jan. 31, 2016. (credit:Ahmed Hasan Ubeyd/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Civil defense team members clear the debris of a building following airstrikes on residential areas in Anadan on Feb. 2, 2016. (credit:Beha El-Halebi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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Children carry Islamist flags as they pose with a man for photos during an anti-government protest in the rebel-controlled city of Idlib, Syria March 25, 2016. (credit:Ammar Abdullah / Reuters)
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A boy runs near damaged buildings in the town of Marat Numan in Idlib province, Syria, March 23, 2016. (credit:Khalil Ashawi / Reuters)
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Boys play near rubble of damaged buildings in the rebel-held besieged town of Douma, eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria March 19, 2016. (credit:Bassam Khabieh / Reuters)
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A damaged building is pictured in the rebel-controlled area of Jobar, a suburb of Damascus, Syria March 23, 2016. (credit:Bassam Khabieh / Reuters)
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A member of forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad takes a position inside a palace complex on March 24, 2016. (credit:Sana Sana / Reuters)
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Residents take part in an anti-government protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Marat Numan in Idlib province, Syria March 24, 2016. (credit:Khalil Ashawi / Reuters)
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A girl walks near rubble of damaged buildings in the rebel held besieged town of Douma, eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria March 19, 2016. (credit:Bassam Khabieh / Reuters)
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Rebel fighters from Jaysh al-Sunna stand in Tel Mamo village, in the southern countryside of Aleppo, Syria March 13, 2016. (credit:Khalil Ashawi / Reuters)
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A general view shows damaged buildings as seen from the rebel held Qaboun neighborhood of Damascus, Syria March 13, 2016. Picture taken March 13, 2016. (credit:Bassam Khabieh / Reuters)
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Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters carry their weapons while riding on the back of a pick-up truck in Qamishli, Syria, March 11, 2016. (credit:Rodi Said / Reuters)
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A man reacts for the loss of family members after an air strike on the rebel held al-Saliheen district in Aleppo, Syria, March 11, 2016. (credit:Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters)
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A boy inspects a damaged house in the rebel held besieged city of Douma, a suburb of Damascus, Syria February 27, 2016. (credit:Bassam Khabieh / Reuters)
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A boy plays with a dog in the rebel-controlled area of Jobar, a suburb of Damascus, Syria March 3, 2016. (credit:Bassam Khabieh / Reuters)
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Protesters carry Free Syrian Army flags and chant slogans during an anti-government protest in the town of Marat Numan in Idlib province, Syria March 4, 2016. (credit:Khalil Ashawi / Reuters)
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A broken frame with a picture lies on the ground of a damaged house in the rebel-controlled area of Jobar, a suburb of Damascus, Syria March 3, 2016. (credit:Bassam Khabieh / Reuters)
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Syria Democratic Forces fighters carry their weapons in a village on the outskirts of al-Shadadi town, Hasaka countryside, Syria February 19, 2016. (credit:Rodi Said / Reuters)
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A woman inspects damage at a camp for internally displaced people after it was hit by shelling in Jabal al-Turkman, Latakia province January 31, 2016. (credit:Ammar Abdullah / Reuters)
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A boy reacts in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria January 10, 2016. (credit:Bassam Khabieh / Reuters)
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Women mourn the death of a relative killed by Islamic State fighter in Mteahh village near al-Shadadi town, Hasaka countryside Syria February 18, 2016. (credit:Rodi Said / Reuters)
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A damaged building is seen in Hraytan city, Northern Aleppo countryside, Syria February 3, 2016. (credit:Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters)
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A member of the Free Syrian Army rests on a metal top of an underground tunnel in Aleppo, Syria August 3, 2015. (credit:Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters)