Oman Daqneesh, dazed Syrian boy's brother dies

Chiqui Guyjoco Monday, August 22, 2016

Sources confirmed the death of the older brother of the five-year-old Syrian boy in Aleppo, whose dazed image while covered in dust and blood on his face, circulated online.

The monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and an eyewitness reported Sunday the death of 10-year-old Ali Daqneesh, who succumbed to internal bleeding and organ damage after an airstrike turned their home in Aleppo into rubbles.

Five-year-old Omran Daqneesh, with bloodied face, sits inside an ambulance after he was rescued following an airstrike in the rebel-held al-Qaterji neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria August 17, 2016. | Reuters/Mahmoud Rslan

"He was martyred while in hospital as a result of the same bombardment that their house was subjected to," Reuters quoted Besher Hawi, the spokesman for Aleppo's local council, as saying.

A video that captured the rescue of the victim's younger brother, Omran Daqneesh, circulated online and in media and gripped the hearts of many. The footage showed Omran lifted in the hands of an aid worker, who then seated him alone in an ambulance. Disheveled, his full body caked in dust and the left part of his face bloodied, Omran appeared dazed and stunned.

Back in May, Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh declared the conditions in Aleppo reached its worst since the Syrian war began in 2011. He spoke of incessant air strikes and even increased incidences of nervous breakdowns and psychological illnesses.

"Those who remain behind are the poorest of all, the ones who cannot even afford to look for a place of safety," Fr. Alsabagh told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

The five-year-old Syrian war is besieged by rebel forces backed by the U.S., Turkey, and Gulf Arab nations trying to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran.

Images of a Syrian boy's dead body, three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, lying face down on the shores of Europe circulated online last year and brought attention to the plight of refugees.

"This tragic image of a little boy who's lost his life fleeing Syria is shocking and is a reminder of the dangers children and families are taking in search of a better life," Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children, told The Guardian. "This child's plight should concentrate minds and force the EU to come together and agree to a plan to tackle the refugee crisis."