Syrian activists have released striking pictures of a young boy rescued from a destroyed building after an air strike in the divided second city of Aleppo. Video and photos of the boy sitting dazed and bloodied in an ambulance were shared widely on social media, with many expressing shock and outrage. He was identified as Omran Daqneesh, 5, who was treated for head wounds on Wednesday night, according to a doctor. His parents and three siblings are believed to have survived the attack. Fighting between government and rebel forces has escalated in recent weeks in Aleppo, once Syria’s commercial and industrial hub, leaving hundreds dead. The victims include dozens of children, NGO Save the Children said. This morning, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura asked for a “gesture of humanity from both sides” and urged them to agree to a 48-hour pause in the hostilities in Aleppo to allow aid deliveries to the two million people trapped there. He had earlier abandoned a meeting of the UN’s humanitarian task force for Syria after only eight minutes, because not a single aid convoy had been allowed to reach besieged areas since the start of the month. Russia said it was ready to stop military operations in the city for a 48-hour period as early as next week.
