Violence in Aleppo has intensified sharply, prompting a dramatic surge in displacement. In the last 24 hours, over 16,000 people have fled the city, a seventeenfold increase compared to previous days. Many families remain trapped in Aleppo, facing extreme hardship with limited access to food, clothing, or heating amid near-freezing nighttime temperatures. Humanitarian organizations are preparing to expand their response to meet the urgent needs of those displaced and those unable to leave.
Rasha Muhrez, Syria Country Director for Save the Children, highlighted the tragic impact on children, noting that one child was reportedly killed in the latest wave of violence, just one month after Syria celebrated the end of 14 years of conflict. Across the country, 2.5 million children are already internally displaced, and any escalation in hostilities threatens to force even more from their homes. Approximately half of those fleeing Aleppo in the past day are children, while others remain in dangerously harsh conditions without adequate resources.
Save the Children has called for an immediate halt to hostilities to protect civilians, particularly children, from further harm. The organization continues to provide critical support, including food, mattresses, blankets, heating fuel, and warm clothing to displaced families. Working closely with partners, Save the Children is striving to reach those unable to leave the city and has appealed for increased funding to sustain and expand its humanitarian efforts during the winter crisis.
