40,000 besieged civilians are starving to death amid silence by the international envoy

The humanitarian situation in Madaya city is exacerbated after 6 months of strict siege by regime forces and Hezbollah, the city of Madaya is inhabited by 40,000 civilians including 20 displaced civilians from Zabdani which witnessed violent clashes and heavy aerial bombardment and artillery bombardment.

SOHR observed hundreds of landmines planted by Hezbollah and al-Assad forces around Madaya city in addition to cutting the city off the surrounding areas by barbed wires and high wires to prevent any stealing in or out operations, the city contains 1200 chronic medical conditions, and 300 children suffering malnutrition and different medical conditions, amid sharp lack of medical and food supplies what caused a dramatic rise in the prices of food supplies, 1 kg of sugar or rice costs 3600 SP which is about 90 USD, SOHR documented the death of 17 civilians including women and children due to the lack of food and medicine, or by landmines, and snipers during attempts to gather food around the town.

Reliable sources in the city also reported to SOHR that 5 families fled Madaya city during the past 2 days after paying an amount of money for soldiers in regime forces or Hezbollah, while a number of rebels from the city turned themselves in to the regime for letting their families leave the city.

Regime forces and Hezbollah is using Madaya as a pushing card to break the siege of Kafria and al-Fouaa towns which are inhabited by Shia in Idlib countryside and contain 5000 militants allied to the regime, NDF, and Hezbollah, after the failure to use al-Zabdani as a first card, The regime refused all the mediations to set Madaya free, in the return 120 rebels will leave the city.