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FROZEN IN FEAR

Heartbreaking footage shows injured tots too traumatised to cry in Aleppo as Syrian Twitter heroine Bana Alabed is one of the 3,000 evacuated from the city

As convoy's ferry desperate refugees out of the city the true human horror of the situation in the war torn city is brought to the fore

HEARTBREAKING new footage of the Aleppo siege shows children too devastated by the brutal war to shed tears.

Recent footage, aired by Channel 4 news, shows a little girl named Ayah, who has been evacuated from the war-torn Syrian city.

 Young Ayah sits bloodied, dusty and confused by his surroundings, too traumatised by what he has seen to even shed a tear
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Young Ayah sits bloodied, dusty and confused by his surroundings, too traumatised by what he has seen to even shed a tearCredit: Channel 4 News

Ayah looks no older than three or four years old. Her hair, face and body are covered in dust, dirt and blood. She’s shaken, scared and confused, yet is completely beyond tears at this point.

She just sits quietly on her stretcher while her mother, Um Fatima, comforts her and grieves the loss of her other children.

Fatima was the only surviving adult of three families whose apartment block was abruptly destroyed by a bomb.

“I don’t know what he (Assad) hit us with,” she says. “We were at home sleeping.

“Suddenly, the whole building just fell on us. Oh my God, all my children have died. Oh my God, help me.

“Aleppo is a place where the children have stopped crying.”

 Doctors frantically hunt for children's parents inside the hospital
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Doctors frantically hunt for children's parents inside the hospitalCredit: Channel 4 News
 Um Fatima, Ayah’s mum, cries into the camera as she grieves the loss of her other children
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Um Fatima, Ayah’s mum, cries into the camera as she grieves the loss of her other childrenCredit: Channel 4 News

But some good news has emerged from the carnage as it has been revealed Syrian Twitter girl Bana Alabed was rescued in the evacuation.

The seven-year-old captured the world's attention when she started tweeting from the war-torn city in September.

She, and her mum who ran the account, shared their thoughts as well as pictures and videos from the conflict with people around the globe.

But mercifully images have surfaced of the youngster safe and sound following the evacuation.

Ahmad Tarakji, president of the the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), tweeted that Bana Alabed had arrived safely in the countryside of Aleppo province.

 But amongst the tragedy, some joy emerges as Syrian Twitter girl Bana Alabad is revealed to be safe
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But amongst the tragedy, some joy emerges as Syrian Twitter girl Bana Alabad is revealed to be safeCredit: Twitter

Zaher Sahloul, a SAMS relief coordinator, added Bana was "safe with her family," having survived "siege, bombing & apathy."

At the moment it is not clear if her entire family has also made it out.

Bana has two brothers Mohammed, 5, and three-year-old Noor along with her mum Fatemah and her dad.

The family have been in hiding since their home was destroyed on November 27.

Around 3,000 people were evacuated from the last rebel-held pocket of Syria's Aleppo early on today following hours of delay, a medical official told AFP.

"About 20 buses carrying people from Aleppo have arrived" at the staging ground west of the city, said Dr Ahmad Dbis, who heads a team of doctors and volunteers coordinating evacuations.

Another 25 vehicles arrived less than two hours later, he said, bringing the total evacuated on Monday morning to around 3,000 people.

Dbis said he saw families wrapped in several layers of coats getting off the buses and receiving packs of bottled water and food.

One thin young boy was biting into an apple while his family sat on the cold earth behind him.

More than 30 buses packed with people had waited overnight in freezing temperatures to leave Aleppo under a complex evacuation deal.

Just 350 people were able to leave after Russia and Turkey urged the government to allow five buses to pass its final checkpoint, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The departure of the remaining busses had reportedly been delayed until hundreds of people could be evacuated from two northwestern villages under siege by the rebels.

 Convoy's of busses have been carrying refugees out of the war torn city as a shaky ceasefire holds on
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Convoy's of busses have been carrying refugees out of the war torn city as a shaky ceasefire holds onCredit: Getty Images
 Around 3,000 people were evacuated from the last rebel-held pocket early this morning
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Around 3,000 people were evacuated from the last rebel-held pocket early this morningCredit: Getty Images
 desperate refugees have been forced to scramble for food parcels in recent days as they are evacuated from Aleppo
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desperate refugees have been forced to scramble for food parcels in recent days as they are evacuated from AleppoCredit: Rex Features
 Some busses meant for evacuation were burned after it was discovered both Shia and Sunni Muslims were being evacuated
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Some busses meant for evacuation were burned after it was discovered both Shia and Sunni Muslims were being evacuatedCredit: Sky News
 Displaced Syrians have been forced to build a fire to keep warm at the Jibreen temporary shelter, south of Aleppo
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Displaced Syrians have been forced to build a fire to keep warm at the Jibreen temporary shelter, south of AleppoCredit: Barcroft Media
 Young children are amongst those huddling for warmth around fires in the Syrian city
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Young children are amongst those huddling for warmth around fires in the Syrian cityCredit: Barcroft Media
 Hundreds of people here suffered from cold weather, with very little to wear as over 80,000 have been forced to flee the city
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Hundreds of people here suffered from cold weather, with very little to wear as over 80,000 have been forced to flee the cityCredit: Barcroft Media

The Britain-based Observatory said an estimated 500 people were bussed out of Fuaa and Kafraya early on Monday.

"Ten buses carrying about 500 people have left Fuaa and Kafraya and are on their way to government-controlled territory in Aleppo," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

The evacuation deal for Aleppo was brokered by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, and has been overseen by the International Committee for the Red Cross.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura estimated that as of Thursday around 40,000 civilians and perhaps as many as 5,000 opposition fighters remained in Aleppo's rebel enclave.



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