Indiscriminate attacks by the Turkish army on north-eastern Syria have been going on for months. They have intensified since 13 January, causing an emergency situation for which the population is paying the price. The testimony of our staff on the ground.

"We are without water, without electricity and severely restricted in our movements. Temperatures meanwhile have dropped below zero. We cannot say how much longer we will be able to guarantee life-saving services."

Rizwan Ul-Haq, Head of Mission of Un Ponte Per in the north east of the country, is worried in the aftermath of the worst bombing in months.

Although the media did not report it, between 13 and 16 January the Turkish armed forces carried out hundreds of bombings on civilian targets: water, fuel and gas stations, power stations and other key facilities, including hospitals, were hit.

At the moment, the work of our staff in the field is highly compromised: 'As humanitarian operatorsə we are asking to be able to continue to provide assistance to the people who have been suffering the effects of the war in Syria for over 12 years, ensuring they have access to the support they need,' Rizwan emphasises.

Turkish attacks in Syria have been going on for months, but as of 13 January there have been more than 220 bombardments targeting the areas between Derik, Qamishlo, Amuda and Kobane, in addition to the launching of another 112 ground attacks. Ninety-two civilian sites have been hit and there are 12 victims. Already 9 power plants have been taken out of service.

The one in Swediyeh, which carried electricity and gas for cooking to about 1 million people, has been taken completely out of service. As many as 96 water wells are currently unusable and another 80 will be soon because the fuel stocks, on which their operation depends, are running out.

"Access to water for more than 800,000 people is no longer guaranteed," they explain from the camp. Since 15 January, 9 out of 10 vital services (including health, nutrition, drinking water, sanitation) have been severely restricted throughout the area due to the enormous damage.

The lack of fuel, water and energy is creating severe limitations to our work. Restrictions on movement will soon prevent us from bringing services and assistance to the population. The absence of electricity and water in the clinics and health facilities we support will make it impossible to provide health care and treatment, even life-saving treatment, to those affected.

The severity of the situation has already forced our field workers to stock up on fuel wherever possible, so as to be able to guarantee some movements and the operation of generators, necessary to keep clinics and hospitals operational.

Eleven major cities and towns, as well as over 2,700 villages and 1,900 schools, are currently completely without electricity.

But the escalation is not sparing the camps for displaced persons, in which we have been working for years to provide people with health care. Since 15 January, fuel has not arrived in the camps, and the inhabitants are unable to heat or cook. The blockage of fuel transfers is also paralysing the transport of life-saving goods, such as medical supplies and food baskets.

We are witnessing a very serious violation of basic human rights and international humanitarian laws, which have been completely trampled on by the Turkish armed forces.

We have been working in north-east Syria since 2015, rebuilding the local health system in cooperation with numerous local partners. In these years together we have ens ured the rehabilitation and establishment of more than 15 clinics and hospitals and an ambulance system, guaranteeing the right to health to the population affected by 12 years of conflict.

We have witnessed numerous crises at first hand, and express our deep concern about this umpteenth escalation, which has remained out of the international spotlight.