The International community has been appealing on the Syrian government to stop its bloody attacks in East Ghouta where 400,000 people are trapped and besieged. Despite the calls, the regime and its main backers, Iran and Russia, have turned deaf and defended that the aerial attacks were targeting the militants. However, the videos and photos that are circulated on the social media demonstrate the mass killing of civilians.

Agencies have reported that more than 400 people were killed in the bombardments in the last week while thousands have been injured. In addition to the use of barrel bombs and other bomb kinds, which have been condemned by the U.N., the opposition sources repeatedly have been claiming that the regime was using chemical weapons as well. "At least 416 people have been killed in eastern Ghouta since Sunday night, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, with more than 2,100 wounded from the assault by Syria's military and its allies. Planes have struck residential areas in the enclave of 400,000 people and, said medical charities, hit more than a dozen hospitals, making it near impossible to treat the wounded. Panos Moumtzis, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Syria, said households in eastern Ghouta were without food, water or electricity in winter cold and 80 percent of the population of the town of Harasta was living underground," Reuters reported.

Although the U.N. called for a 30-day-long truce, Russia denied its credibility, saying no agreement has been reached. Sweden and Kuwait called for the truce, demanding the arrest of the fighting after the vote in the U.N. assembly so that the aids would be delivered. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the text was "absolutely unrealistic," adding that putting a ceasefire into force was a "complex process" that "cannot be imposed by a Security Council resolution." Nebenzia said the aid deliveries would reach the city under certain security conditions and with the cooperation of the regime. Following the Russian ambassador's statements, Swedish Ambassador Olof Skoog said "We are trying to find a way forward."

The U.S., the U.K. and France have called for a quick vote for the truce. "The United States is ready to vote on this resolution right here and right now. The assault from the regime is relentless, and the suffering is overwhelming," said U.S. diplomat Kelley Currie. "The draft resolution would pave the way for the truce to go into effect 72 hours after the adoption of the measure and for aid deliveries and medical evacuations to begin 48 hours after that. It demands the immediate lifting of all sieges including in Eastern Ghouta, Yarmouk, Foua and Kefraya and orders all sides to "cease depriving civilians of food and medicine indispensable to their survival." In a concession to Russia, the draft was amended during tough-going negotiations last week to specify that the ceasefire does not apply to Daesh or Al-Qaida," Agence-France Press (AFP) reported. Backing the truce, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "The regime is not fighting against terrorists, but against its own people, killing children, destroying hospitals, and this is a massacre to be condemned."

Things are easier for the regime in Eastern Ghouta, a besieged city, located near Damascus. Far from any border, encircled with the regime-held areas and being frequently subjected to intra-opposition conflict, Ghouta has a less complicated situation in terms of the influences of certain actors. Despite the fact that as many as 400,000 people live in the city with insufficient medical facilities and nutritional materials, the regime is freer to conduct attacks or to continue blocking the delivery of international aid. Although the U.N. considers the siege and deprivation of water and food to be war crimes, there has been no successful attempt to break the siege. The failure of aid deliveries points to the U.N.'s difficulty in tackling the humanitarian crisis.