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Syria: Scenes of suffering in Aleppo

01-11-2013 Photo gallery

Close to three years of fighting in Syria have made a deep impact on the lives of millions of people in Aleppo, where many residents face a daily struggle for food and safety. Parts of the governorate have been ruined, essential municipal services have been disrupted and numerous schools and hospitals have been either destroyed or put out of service.

  • Al-Hazzazeh, Aleppo. Children play in the rubble left by intense clashes.
    • Al-Hazzazeh, Aleppo. Children play in the rubble left by intense clashes.
      © ICRC / H. Hvanesian / sy-e-00316
  • Old Aleppo, Aleppo governorate. Large-scale destruction of infrastructure is one of the many harsh realities of Syria's armed conflict.
    • Old Aleppo, Aleppo governorate. Large-scale destruction of infrastructure is one of the many harsh realities of Syria's armed conflict.
      © ICRC / H. Hvanesian / sy-e-00317
  • Old Aleppo, Aleppo governorate. Just a few metres from the front line, destroyed houses stand side by side with intact houses where people are still living.
    • Old Aleppo, Aleppo governorate. Just a few metres from the front line, destroyed houses stand side by side with intact houses where people are still living.
      © ICRC / H. Hvanesian / sy-e-00318
  • Jdaideh, Aleppo. These displaced children live just a few metres from a demarcation line, hidden behind the light curtain in the background.
    • Jdaideh, Aleppo. These displaced children live just a few metres from a demarcation line, hidden behind the light curtain in the background.
      © ICRC / H. Hvanesian / sy-e-00319
  • Al-Kayyali Street, Aleppo. Two years ago this street ran through a vibrant commercial district.
    • Al-Kayyali Street, Aleppo. Two years ago this street ran through a vibrant commercial district.
      © ICRC / H. Hvanesian / sy-e-00321
  • Al-Kayyali Street, Jdaideh, Aleppo. Part of the Arab Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Aleppo still stands, while the rest of the church is merely a ruin. International humanitarian law states that precautions must be taken in military operations to spare civilian property, including buildings dedicated to religion.
  • Al-Hazzazeh, Aleppo. Children sit beside a bullet-riddled garage shutter next to their home.
  • Sisi, Aleppo. Collecting cartridge cases is a new hobby for some of Syria's children.
  • Sisi, Aleppo. A boy holds up cartridge cases collected in the street by his home.
  • Al-Tilal, Aleppo. Young boys imitate with their homemade toy guns the fighters they see day in and day out in their area.
  • Rural Aleppo, Aleppo governorate. An ICRC convoy brings medical assistance. In close cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), the ICRC has donated medical and surgical supplies and provided food. In addition, the ICRC and SARC have carried out a number of sanitation projects including rubbish collection and spraying with insecticide.

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