Summary of the Humanitarian situation in the besieged neighborhoods of Deir Ezzor city in July 2017
Background:
The besieged neighborhoods of Deir Ezzor city(Al-Jura,Al-Qosour and Harabesh) has seen many events from the beginning of July 2017 on more than one front, those events emphasizing the continuing struggle of the besieged civilians due to the ongoing blockade imposed by the Islamic state since 5 January 2015, and the Islamic state group still isolate Harabesh neighborhood from Al-Jura and Al-Qosour.
Illustrative image of the besieged neighborhoods in Deir Ezzor (Al-Jura,Al-Qosour and Harabesh)
Aid distribution:
A stabilization in the prices of food has occurred in July, the prices still high and out of the purchasing power of civilians despite the availability of some materials as a result of the airdropping of aid by the WFP to the besieged neighborhoods, whereas the Red crescent still receives and distributes it in the city.
The red crescent started to distribute food parcels to civilians on the date of 4 July 2017 According to distribution program, that program ended on the 13th of the same month and the food parcels contained: Rice 10 kgs, Bulgur 7 kgs, Lentil 7 kgs, each basket weights 24 kgs.
The red crescent distributed food baskets contains: sugar 5 kgs, crushed lentil 7 kgs and 1 kg of salt between 23 and 25 of July.
The red crescent also distributed food basket of 6 liters of vegetables oil between 14 and 23 of the same month.
The warehouses of the Red crescent which contain Aid have been stolen more than once since the start of the besiege, moreover the militias of the government forces supervise the distribution of the aid, and the militants take parcels forcefully and they are abusing the volunteers of the red crescent and civilians during the distribution of aid.
The prices of foodstuffs:
Bread bag 150 sp and 75 sp for one homemade bread loaf despite the free distribution of bread by the Red crescent.
Flour 700 sp per kilo
Rice 500 sp per kilo
Bulgur 700 sp per kilo
Lentil 250 sp per kilo
Vegetable oil 4000 sp per liter
Margarine 6000 sp per kilo
Tea 8000 sp per kilo
Eggs 500 sp for one egg
Potatoes between 1500 and 2000 per kilo
And about the fuels… the regime forces receive the fuels by airdropping or by using primitive fuel refinery to extract fuel, that refinery is supervised by State Security branch and located behind Al-Assad hospital.
The prices of fuels:
Cooking gas is not available
Diesel oil 2000 sp per liter
Gasoline between 4500 and 5000 sp per liter (if it was available)
The displacement from the besieged neighborhoods:
Tens of thousands of civilians still trapped in the besieged neighborhoods because the Islamic state group has closed all the roads, and the airplanes aren’t transporting civilians anymore, so the civilians have no choice but to resort to the military aviation to get out of the city, in addition to all these problems, the security branches create obstacles to prevent civilians from getting out of the city, the most important obstacle is the Requirement of security clearance which is so hard to get and civilians pay large amounts of money to the officers and members of the security branches to get that security clearance.
The people who are allowed to get the security clearance are the people with the difficult medical cases and students who are moving to continue their study out of Deir Ezzor.
The water:
The besieged neighborhoods are being supplied with water by three waterworks working in shifts for no longer than 6 hours per shift, the resources of the JFL mentioned that sterilants used for water are missing in the besieged neighborhood of Harabesh, and the drinking water is unsterilized, and that threatens that infectious diseases will appear.
The health care:
Two hospitals and three clinics are in service in the besieged neighborhoods of Deir Ezzor, but those facilities are suffering from the lack of medicine and medical staff, a central pharmacy has been established in the besieged neighborhoods and the department of health is supplying this pharmacy with medicine, the hospitals are being supplied with oxygen by depending on a station brought back into service eastern of the besieged neighborhoods and it is supervised by the health department.
The targeting of the besieged neighborhoods:
The Islamic state group still targeting the besieged neighborhoods with mortar shells causing civilian casualties, in July 2017 the Islamic state bombed several civilian positions in Deir Ezzor city:
On 2 July, 6 mortar shells fell on Al-Jura and Al-Qosour
On 4 July , 3 shells fell on Harabesh neighborhood
On the date of 8 July three mortar shells were fired on Al-Qosour neighborhood nearby the state security branch At 12:00 pm
On July 12th two shells fell on Al-Qosour neighborhood
On July 13th a mortar shell fell on Al-Mwathafin neighborhood
On July 15th two shells were fired on Harabesh neighborhood in the morning
The bombardment on the besieged neighborhoods in July 2017 led to the death of 8 civilians including 3 children.
Ahmad Aloush
he was killed due to a mortar shell targeted Al-Qosour neighborhood behind Al-Ashabiba building on 11 July 2017
Sufian Hasan Kharaba was killed in amortar shell targeted AlQosor neighborhood on the date of 12 July 2017
In conjunction with the bombardment of the besieged neighborhoods, the members of the security branches launched a campaign to arrest the young men between the ages of 18 and 45 for recruitment into the ranks of the regime forces, whereas the detention operations increased on the dates of 4,9,16,23 and 30 July 2017.
