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A child rides his bicycle past a destroyed building in the besieged rebel-held city of Douma, Eastern Ghouta province, Syria, March 2018. DPA/PA Images

Eastern Ghouta 'Maybe this is the last time that I will be able to text you. Please pray for us'

I pray that those with the power to do so will finally put a stop this Syrian river of blood, writes Ayham Al Akkad.

LIKE ALL SYRIANS, I still find it hard to believe what has been allowed happen to my country over the past seven years.

Despite the killing, the blood and the ongoing horror, the barbarity inflicted on the people of Eastern Ghouta in recent weeks has troubled me deeply.

I was born and raised in Damascus and the violence that is taking place in that suburb now is occurring less than three kilometres from where I used to live.

The shelling still continues

At least 850 people have been killed since the latest intensive aerial campaign began on February 18. That equates to the murder of 47 people every day for the past 18 days. And still the shelling continues. It is unbearable.

On Saturday, February 24, the UN’s Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria. But despite the inexcusable delay by the international community in getting to even that stage, the ceasefire has yet to be implemented. The five-hour daily delay in hostilities ordered by the Russians has not come into force and is nowhere near adequate anyway.

In the meantime, the bombardment continues and dozens of my people – my fellow Damascenes –are being slaughtered in their homes and in their beds every day.

I hear the people there saying that they would prefer to be killed in their homes with their families, rather than being forced to move to another area. These people are so strong; they would rather remain at home with rockets flying over their heads than give up their homes and neighbourhood.

A text from Eastern Ghouta

Last week, I received a text from a relative of mine who lives in Eastern Ghouta. He said:

Maybe this is the last time that I will be able to text you. Please pray for us. The situation here is crazy. In just one minute this morning, five rockets were fired over our home. Please tell everyone that we stayed until the end.

I have not been able to reach him since.

I also know that international rescue teams are being denied access to Eastern Ghouta to provide humanitarian support, take the bodies from the streets or even just to provide medical aid, food or water.

The ordinary people of Syria have been suffering now for more than seven years, but it is especially difficult for Damascenes right now. For young people like myself – I am 32 – I have known nothing but war since I was forced to leave university and ultimately, escape from Damascus in 2012.

Our lives were drastically affected

When the war began in 2011, we tried to stay in the capital, but it was extremely dangerous, even back then. We had a house in the suburbs, but we had to move closer to the city centre to escape the bombing.

Our area was a focal point for the protests and the regime targeted that area as a result. At first, they tried not to bomb areas where they knew there were citizens living, but after a while they no longer cared about that detail.

Our lives were drastically affected. It was difficult to find food, water and medicine. Lack of electricity and communications made it hard to find out what was happening around us. We couldn’t attend prayers because the regime was planting car bombs near wherever people were gathering, including the mosques.

We discovered quite early on that what the Syrian media were telling the world was completely different to what was happening in reality. I tried to do what I could to let people know the true story by working with friends to post images and videos online that revealed what was being inflicted upon the ordinary people.

It was a very dangerous thing to do. If the regime found out where we were posting from, they would come to the neighbourhood overnight. In the morning, they would arrest everyone, kill most of the men and put the women in jail, if they were lucky.

I have seen this happening and those images will never be deleted from my mind.

I eventually left Syria 

I eventually left Damascus with my mother in March 2013. After passing through Lebanon and Istanbul, we arrived in Antakya in Turkey’s Hatay province. We were very worried about my father but thankfully, he managed to join us two months later. We have been living in Antakya ever since.

I joined GOAL as an IT officer in October 2013 and I have been working with them for the past four and a half years.

My hopes now are simple. They are the hopes of most Syrians. I want the killing to stop. I don’t want to see any more blood; I don’t want to hear the sounds of rockets or bombs; I don’t want to read about chemical weapons. I want my people to live in peace. And once the war has ended, I want to help rebuild my country.

In the meantime, all I can think about is the poor people of Eastern Ghouta. I pray that those with the power to do so will finally put a stop this Syrian river of blood.

Ayham Al Akkad is IT Manager for GOAL in Syria. GOAL is supporting 750,000 people in Northern Syria with daily food, water and emergency provisions. Visit goalglobal.org for more information on GOAL’s work.

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:52 PM

    Straight outta Carlow.

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    Mute G
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:04 PM

    Gwan the boyz yup yup

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:00 PM

    Embarrassing…

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    Mute Daragh Ó Murchú
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    Jun 9th 2019, 12:19 AM

    @TamuMassif2019: cad go díreach a bhfuil náireach fúthu ?

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 9th 2019, 12:57 PM

    @Daragh Ó Murchú: I never put much effort into Irish at school…

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 9th 2019, 1:00 PM

    @Daragh Ó Murchú: Them denying their own culture and trying to act if they belong to another culture and to another race, why making eejits of themselves.

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    Mute Mike Spillane
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    Jun 9th 2019, 2:49 PM

    @TamuMassif2019: you haven’t got a clue. I’d say Irish wasn’t the only part of your education you neglected.

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    Mute David Hickey
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    Jun 9th 2019, 5:12 PM

    @TamuMassif2019: Would you say the same of a rock band? Rock music is from the south of the US originally. Should we stop that, and only play trad so?

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    Mute Disco Pants
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:12 PM

    Lowest common denominator trash for the most brainless in society.

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    Mute .
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @Disco Pants: ooooooh look at me I use big words to seem smarter than anyone else

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    Mute Patsy Mongan
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @Disco Pants: moron

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    Mute Conor Daly
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:20 PM

    @Disco Pants: idiot

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:22 PM

    @Conor Daly: who bees you dog? Gnome sayin

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    Mute Leitrim303
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:22 PM

    @Disco Pants: i bet you would be great crack on a night out

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    Mute j4VEpUO8
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:25 PM

    @Disco Pants: put down what you don’t understand is smart thinking

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    Mute j4VEpUO8
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:26 PM

    @T Jay O’Mea: putting

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    Mute Blockboy Bertie
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:40 PM

    @Disco Pants: bellend

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    Mute Marty
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:03 PM

    @Disco Pants: Hey mate you havnt got a clue what’s up

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:07 PM

    @Disco Pants: brainless? Most of these lads are above average intelligence. They have to be to write songs and have the intelligence and confidence to come up with lyrics on the spot

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    Mute Barry Dempsey
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    Jun 9th 2019, 7:55 AM

    @Disco Pants: thanks for your insight. Lowest common denominator trolling

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    Mute Cheeky Bums
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:50 PM

    Anyone else remember Scary Éire?

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    Mute G
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:09 PM

    @Cheeky Bums: Yeah, last I heard he got whacked in Compton, drive by shooting. Rip Scary

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    Mute Linda Kirby
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:51 PM

    @Cheeky Bums: They played the sugar club on Paddy’s weekend, wasn’t there but it was a great gig so I’ve been told.

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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Jun 10th 2019, 10:35 AM

    @Cheeky Bums: Yeah, Saw them live back in the day.. great band.

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    Mute Tommy D
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:21 PM

    Mago x mathman have some really good stuff that deserves more air play

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    Mute popeye Doyle
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:40 PM

    Load of me b. O. X s

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:14 PM

    I said a hip hop …… stall it down the shop ….

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    Mute Sirius
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    Jun 9th 2019, 7:39 AM

    “entrenched racism”? How about a fact check on that claim.

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    Mute Linda Kirby
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:54 PM

    It’s quite astonishing that an article about Irish rap has no mention of Scary Eire

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    Mute TheFreeSpeechParty
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:46 PM

    Just need to avoid the trap that happens with any Dublin scene where a group of artists get good, then disappear up their own posteriors

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    Mute Iarla Ó
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:28 PM

    Kneecap’s album gets played a lot in our car. Check them out on YouTube/Spotify if you haven’t already.

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    Mute J
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:39 PM

    The comments here are hilarious

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    Mute thephantomshit
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:43 PM

    Is seems like most Irish hip hop that makes social media graduated out of gonzaga college

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:53 PM

    Straight outta Carlow

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    Mute Sega Yolo
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:05 PM

    @Keith Dunne: or Straight outta Carlaa

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    Mute De20
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:22 PM

    I really don’t the Kneecap boys would call themselves northern Irish and what’s with the ‘his real name is an Irish name’ comment? What’s that supposed to mean? Belfast is cheap compared to Dublin but you would be hard pushed to get a room in a shared house for less than £250 a month. For a flat, you’ll be talking £500 a month unless it’s in the absolute worst areas

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    Mute De Zach Same
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    Jun 9th 2019, 4:30 AM

    @De20: We are taking Irish hip hop and somehow you manage to make it about property prices….shame on you.

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    Mute Al coholic
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    Jun 9th 2019, 1:43 AM

    Fair play lads all the best no mention of Rob Kelly from Wexford who really blazed a trail for the hip hop community

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    Mute Bass demon
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    Jun 9th 2019, 2:42 PM

    Rap/ hip hop just never sounds good done by Europeans it just comes across as lame and fake .

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    Mute Michael Maher
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    Jun 9th 2019, 8:27 PM

    diddi diddle dillidy dillidy dillidy dee

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    Mute Marty
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:05 PM

    These boys are very talented not mainstream which is great….we are sick of PC bullshit we’re know
    what’s going down

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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:03 PM
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:32 PM

    5th element on youtube. Class lads!

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    Mute Donwon999
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    Jun 9th 2019, 9:49 AM

    Calling all da scraggy b I tches from accross the land. Jump up on me 1997 Civic and we’ll show those nerds.

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