Exclusive photos: Children bear the brunt of Eastern Ghouta onslaught

The Russian-backed Syrian regime launched a ferocious assault on the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on 18 February, vowing to recapture the territory just outside of Damascus.

The onslaught has since taken more than 40 percent of Eastern Ghouta and killed more than 800 civilians, including more than 178 children, as the young bear the brunt of the devastating escalation in violence.

Children in Eastern Ghouta – sick, hungry and deprived of an education – live in daily fear of being killed in their own homes or makeshift shelters, with health services stretched to breaking point amid a crushing siege.

At least six medical facilities have been destroyed or put out of action due to the assault.

Qusay Noor has captured the human cost of the regime’s daily bombardments. His photos reveal both the suffering of children and the bravery of those trying to save their lives under the most gruelling conditions.

[Qusay Noor]

The bombardment has continued despite a one-month ceasefire demanded by the United Nations Security Council more than a week ago.

[Qusay Noor]

Forty-six aid trucks entered the area on Monday for the first time since the offensive, but had to cut short their deliveries and leave due to heavy bombardment

[Qusay Noor]

Eastern Ghouta's roughly 400,000 residents have lived under government siege since 2013, facing severe shortages of food and medicines even before the latest offensive began.

[Qusay Noor]

Following the publication of shocking images of severely malnourished children in October 2017, the UN condemned "the deliberate starvation of civilians as a method of warfare".

[Qusay Noor]

At least six medical facilities have been destroyed or put out of action due to the assault.

[Qusay Noor]

An estimated 400,000 people live in the besieged region.

[Qusay Noor]

Qusay Noor is a journalist and photographer from Eastern Ghouta in Syria.

Follow him on Twitter: @QUSAY_NOOR_