France's foreign minister has urged an end to hostilities to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged city. Up to 16,000 people have been displaced by the latest violence in rebel-held Aleppo, according to UN figures.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Ourfalian
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Tuesday called for an immediate convening of the UN Security Council to discuss the deteriorating situation in Aleppo after the Syrian regime captured one-third of the city's rebel-held eastern districts, according to monitors.
"More than ever before, we need to urgently put in place means to end the hostilities and to allow humanitarian aid to get through unhindered," the minister said in a statement.
The Syrian regime has made significant gains since last week, capturing large swathes of eastern Aleppo held by rebels since 2012.
"The rebels have lost at least 30 percent of the territory they once controlled in Aleppo," said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent war monitor that uses a nationwide network of informants.
The Russian defense ministry on Tuesday claimed that half of the rebel-held areas of Aleppo has been cleared of "militants," reported Russian news agency Interfax.
Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a major offensive in September to capture eastern Aleppo, which would mark the regime's largest victory since the conflict erupted more than five years ago.
Sanctions
The UN has warned both sides of the conflict, including Assad's key ally Russia, that war crimes may have been committed during the Aleppo campaign.
German lawmakers on Monday called on Western nations to respond to the violent campaign in Aleppo, including placing sanctions against Syrians and Russians involved in the onslaught.
"It is not acceptable that those responsible for war crimes fly to Munich or Paris to do their Christmas shopping while women and children are dying in Syria," the lawmakers said in a statement.
More than 300,000 people have been killed and half the population displaced since the conflict erupted in 2011, when government forces launched a vicious crackdown against peaceful protesters calling for Assad to step down.
The long trip to Europe from the refugees' perspective
A boy who is soaking wet, volunteers entertaining children, moments of danger and of joy: #RefugeeCameras shows images taken during the journey to Europe. It is the subject of a new exhibition in Hamburg.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Leaving home - for good?
Zakaria received his camera on December 8 in Izmir, Turkey - one of the key hubs for refugees. The Syrian fled from the "Islamic State" terror militia and the government, according to McElvaney's #RefugeeCamera project. Out of safety concerns, Zakaria doesn't name his hometown. In his flight diary, Zakaria writes that only God knows if he will ever be able to return to Syria.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Rough dinghy ride
Zakaria documented his sea journey from Turkey to Chios. He was sitting in the back of his dinghy. At the Hamburg exhibition, which opens this weekend, the refugees' images will be complemented by a selection of shots taken by professionals, who helped to shape the representation of escape routes in the media. They all donated their works in order to support the project.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Perilous arrival
Hamza and Abdulmonem, both from Syria, photographed the perilous landing of their dinghy on a Greek island. There were no volunteers to offer them support. That is exactly what McElvaney had in mind when he launched #RefugeeCameras. So far, he says, the media have offered a "visual blank" in this respect.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Surviving the sea
After the landing, a young boy in wet clothes and life jacket stands on the pebbled beach. The image brings to mind Aylan Kurdi, the small Syrian boy whose lifeless body was washed ashore on a Turkish beach in September. The child in this picture made it to Europe alive. What became of him is not known.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Seven cameras returned
Hamza and Abdulmonem also took this slightly blurred snapshot of the refugee group taking a break. McElvaney handed out 15 disposable cameras in total. Seven of them were returned, one was lost, two were confiscated, two remain in Izmir, where their holders are still stranded. The remaining three cameras are unaccounted for - just like their owners.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Family in focus
Dyab, a math teacher from Syria, tried to capture some of the better moments of his journey to Germany. Pictured here are his wife and his young son, Kerim, who shows us the packet of biscuits he was given in a Macedonian refugee camp. The images reveal Dyab's deep affection for his son, McElvaney says: "He wants to take care of him, even on this arduous trip which he was forced to take."
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
From Iran to Hanau
The story of Saeed, from Iran, is a different one. The young man had to leave the country after converting to Christianity. He could have been arrested or even killed. In order to be accepted as a refugee, he pretended to be Afghan. After his arrival in Germany, he explained his situation to the authorities' satisfaction. He now lives - as an Iranian - in Hanau, Hesse.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Beyond selfies
Saeed took this picture of a Syrian father and his child on a bus from Athens to Idomeni.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
More than status
In another snapshot taken by Saeed, a volunteer working in a refugee camp somewhere between Croatia and Slovenia entertains a group of children, who try to imitate his tricks.
