Publisher's Synopsis
In 2013, the UN estimated that sieges by government and opposition forces had left more than 250,000 subjected to relentless shelling and bombardment.[872] The OCHA's figure for February 2015 was 212,000, [793] though a study published the following month by American doctors said this was a drastic underestimate, putting the number of people besieged by the Syrian military alone at some 640,000.[873] "They are denied humanitarian aid, food and such basic necessities as medical care, and must choose between surrender and starvation," the members of the UN Commission of Inquiry said.[872] At least 18,866 civilians have been killed in Syrian government air attacks on rebel-held areas
