Inna lilahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.
Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Allah we shall return.

Islamic Relief is united in grief as a colleague mourns the loss of 4 young relatives in an airstrike today in Idlib, northwest Syria.

The devastating airstrikes killed several civilians, including siblings and other children related to an Islamic Relief aid worker. Aged just 2, 4, 5 and 8 years old, the children were at home when the bombs rained down just after dawn.

Initial reports say the strikes killed at least 7 civilians, including 5 children, and seriously wounded at least 12 more. The attacks targeted villages in the west of Idlib and a chicken farm where uprooted families were sheltering.

At this moment of sorrow, Islamic Relief stands with our dear colleague and the many others who have lost loved ones to the violence.

We strongly condemn the airstrike and the ongoing suffering of children across Syria. Islamic Relief, which has been a lifeline in Syria since the start of the crisis, is heartbroken that children in the country have never known peace or safety.

Conditions have been particularly dire in Idlib, which in recent weeks has been subject to a significant escalation again. Today’s airstrike is the most serious yet.

Each life lost to Syria’s devastating crisis is a tragedy

“Our team is devastated and heartbroken by this news, and our prayers are with our colleague and other grieving families at this time,” says Ahmed Mahmoud*, Islamic Relief’s Syria Country Director.

“These tragic deaths are felt by the whole Islamic Relief family. In their short lives these young children had already had to flee their old home to try and escape the violence, but there is nowhere truly safe. 11 years into the crisis, the children of Idlib are still not safe even in their own homes.

“In Idlib people feel like the world has forgotten about children in Syria, but they continue to suffer every day. We see malnutrition rising and people are struggling to feed their families as food prices escalate and job opportunities are scarce. Many children are dropping out of school to try and find casual labour or work on the streets, just to afford some bread to see them through the day. Now the bombing is increasing again as well.”

The situation in Syria remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world:

• Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed
• More than 12 million people have had to flee their homes – many of them repeatedly
• Over 85% of the population needs of aid and nearly 90% are now living in poverty.

Yet the UN-led humanitarian appeal for 2022 has less than a quarter of the funding it needs, and aid is drying up.

Islamic Relief continues to urge the international community to find a solution to the crisis and remains steadfast in our determination to support those in need for as long as they need us. Support our vital work in Syria: donate to our Syria Crisis Appeal now.

*Name changed to protect Islamic Relief staff working in Syria