Some of the most critically ill people trapped within Syria’s besieged Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus are being transported to the capital city for urgent treatment this week. The evacuations, which come as part of a deal between the Syrian regime and rebel forces, are a grim race against time. Multiple people approved for medical release have already died in the rebel-held enclave, which has been under government siege for four years. Six-month-old Katr Alnada “was supposed to be evacuated today in the list of urgent 29 people,” he wrote on Twitter. Jaish al-Islam, a rebel faction in Eastern Ghouta, said it was releasing 29 prisoners as part of the agreement.

Source: Huffington Post December 27, 2017 22:30 UTC