The world has turned its attention to Aleppo after the image of a dazed and bloodied five-year-old child, sitting confused in the back of an ambulance, was posted online.
The young boy named as Omran Daqneesh was injured on Wednesday during a bombing by government or Russian planes on the Qaterji neighbourhood, in rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
The haunting images have since been shared widely on social media.
On the same day, at least six people were killed following government airstrikes on the Damascus suburb of Arbeen.
In the wake of increased fighting in the country, the United Nations has suspended its humanitarian task force in Syria.
Staffan de Mistura, the special envoy for Syria, stopped a meeting on humanitarian access after just eight minutes, saying it made “no sense” to plan aid deliveries when they would not be let into besieged areas.
“I insist, on behalf of the UN Secretary General, to have a 48-hour pause in Aleppo,” Mr de Mistura said, calling for a "gesture of humanity from both sides".
“That would require some heavy lifting not only by the two co-chairs (Russia and the US) but also those who have influence on the ground.”
An estimated 11 million Syrians have fled since the outbreak of civil war in 2011.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 4.8 million have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, and 6.6 million are internally displaced within Syria.
