Fears for the lives of about 150 citizens in besieged Hawija Katea of being shelled by the regime forces which started to advance towards it through water bridges

Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the regime forces insist on achieving the Russian demand, to release two captives of the Russian forces of who were captured during counter attacks carried out by the “Islamic State” organization at the end of September 2017 and the beginning of October 2017, this insistence on achieving the Russian demand became clear after the regime forces extended water bridges and started to advance towards the out skirts of Hawija Katea which is a river island in the middle of the Euphrates River, where there are 150 citizens of those who escaped from Deir Ezzor city to it, as well as tens of member of ISIS, in which Russia and the regime forces have kept silent about the SOS’ of the citizens, although the both parties claimed that they came to “liberate the citizens”, but “the new liberators” became “the besiegers” and they threatened to target every boat may be sent by the Syria Democratic Forces to Hawija Katea to transport citizens to their controlled areas, while there is a fear for the lives of the citizens who some them were killed and injured, with the start of the regime forces to target Hawija Katea yesterday.

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that The regime forces continue their shelling of areas in Hwyjet Katea’ in the Euphrates River at the outskirts of Deir Ezzor city, where the shelling wounded several people and killed a civilian man, and information about the death of 2 other citizen women as a result of the shelling that targeted tens of trapped people in the area, where the Syrian Observatory published hours ago that Russia, which claims to have humanity and is desperate to regain 2 of its captives to preserve its image before the public opinion of its supporters and citizens, has made about 150 Syrian civilians hostages of its decision, where it came with the regime forces claiming that it came to “liberate the civilians in Deir Ezzor”, where it took the presence of the “Islamic State” organization with the fleeing civilians to Hwyjet Katea’ as a pretext and opportunity to retrieve 2 of its captives who previously it denied their capture, until the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed their capture and the Organization published a video showing them after being captured in the clashes of Deir Ezzor at the end of September and the beginning October 2017, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several reliable sources that the regime forces targeted Hwyjet Katea’ which is located in the Euphrates River and considered a River island, under the pretext of targeting the “Islamic State” organization, and caused the injuries of civilians in it, and information about the death of at least 2 women in this shelling, and this shelling came with the worsening of humanitarian situation of the citizens trapped for the 9th consecutive day between the forces of conflict.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on Friday the 10th of November 2017 that no clear hope of survive for about 150 Syrian citizens who are still stuck in a river island in the outskirts of Deir Ezzor city, under fragile pretexts, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of the siege imposed on the citizens in Hawija Katea, in conjunction with the continuation the Russian obstinacy to open a way for saving the citizens, and the tenacity of the “Islamic State” organization in the area, of the presence of citizens using them as human armors, and a bridge to cross to a safe place, while the humanitarian situation is getting worse day after another, with the entry of the siege on Hawija Katea for the 9th consecutive day, amid fears for the citizens’ lives, who became hostages waiting for the design of the Russian or the “Islamic State” organization.

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented yesterday that ISIS uses the citizens as human armors, that protect it to secure a way out of the area without facing the other parties, and the sources confirmed that the number of the citizens is about 150 citizens, after some of the besieged people managed to escape through the Euphrates River to the banks opposite the Euphrates River, and tens of members of the organization still accompany the citizens in Hawija Katea, while the SDF approved to transport the citizens to their controlled areas on condition that the members of the organization surrender, while the Russian party refuses to let the members of ISIS withdraw, with the exception of handing over two internees of the Russian forces of who were captured in Deir Ezzor countryside, during counter attacks carried out by the “Islamic State” organization at the end of September 2017 and the beginning of October 2017, and this Russian refusal is accompanied by Russian threats published by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights days ago, related to warning, that the Russian forces target every operation of transporting citizens carried out by the Syria Democratic Forces, as the later started their preparations to send bouts to transport the citizens from Hawija Katea, to their controlled areas, but Russia threatened to shell and target every operation of transporting citizens, and Russia provides to hand their internees over to allow the members of the organization to leave to the controlled areas of the SDF in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 4th of November 2017, that Hundreds of civilians are still stuck in Hawija Kate and their fate is still unknown, after they were forced to displace to this area, which is a river Island in the center of the Euphrates River. Reliable sources told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the Syria Democratic Forces approved to allow these civilians to cross the river to the SDF-held areas, and preparations began to send boats to help these civilians to reach the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, however, the regime and Russian forces announced their refusal to the exit of civilians towards the SDF-held areas, and the Russian forces, stationed in Deir Ezzor, threatened targeting any boat moves to save the civilians stuck in Hawija Kate, where the regime forces tends to harass the civilians and ISIS members in Hawija Kate, waiting for the approval of the latter’s demand to move to the organization-held areas in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and the SOHR published on Saturday the 4th of November that it was not enough for the regime forces to kill citizens during the past days, months and years, by targeting them in Deir Ezzor city and its countryside, under several pretexts fabricated by their media and loyalists, thus, these forces resumed to follow them by targeting them in the last place they reached near Deir Ezzor city, and the forces which came to “liberate the citizens” became the first to target them and they lasted till the end, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored during the past 24 hours, that the regime forces resumed to target hundreds of citizens of who escaped to Hawija Katea “Katea Island”, which is located in the middle of the Euphrates River, and it is a river island, where the regime forces shelled the citizens who are in this area, and who are besieged by the Syria Democratic Forces – which are in the east of the Euphrates River – and the regime forces, as well as encircling the citizens by the members of the “Islamic State” organization who accompany the citizens, and who withdrew with the citizens from Deir Ezzor city to Hawija Katea, after the regime forces managed to impose their full control on Deir Ezzor city on the 2nd of November 2017, and reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the “Islamic State” organization demands to allow the remaining members who accompany the citizens, with hundreds of citizens exist in Hawija Katea, to get out to its controlled areas in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and the regime forces converge with it in this demand, as they are also working on bringing the members of the organization and the citizens out, to the controlled areas of the organization, without allowing those who are in Hawija Katea to stay or return to their homes in the city recently, while the sources confirmed that the SDF inclusively agree to allow citizens to enter their controlled areas, on condition that the members of the “Islamic State” organization surrender to the SDF.