Warplanes and artillery have battered the rebel enclave near the capital Damascus for over two weeks in one of the bloodiest assaults of the seven-year war. Hassan lives in Douma in the rebel stronghold of eastern Ghouta, currently under siege from the Syrian army. The UN has called it 'hell on earth'. In mid-February, President Bashar al-Assad's government stepped up its assault on the area. The civilian death toll has since risen to around 900. Hassan has sent us video footage of the beleagured town. DW has chosen to broadcast it. Because of the ongoing hostilities, it is difficult to get independent information from eastern Ghouta. But what Hassan's footage depicts conforms to reports from international aid organizations and others who live in the region. For now, all they can do is try to survive. It is difficult for aid convoys to reach eastern Ghouta and the international community is failing to intervene. This makes it all the more important to give Hassan a platform - to raise awareness of what he and tens of thousands of others in eastern Ghouta are currently enduring.
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