UN calls for 48-hr ceasefire in Aleppo with aid workers 'brave but not suicidal'

Child walks in the rubble of Aleppo.

The United Nations has issued a fresh appeal for a 48-hour ceasefire in Aleppo with the Syrian city too dangerous to allow even the most determined aid workers into the hellish conditions being suffered by two million people.

Stephen O'Brien, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the dire security situation meant it was "too grave" and "too difficult" for UN and humanitarian partners to deliver food, water and medicine.

"They are brave, but they are not suicidal," he said.

Footage obtained by ITV News showed a rare glimpse into life in the besieged city.

People were seen celebrating on the streets of eastern Aleppo at the weekend after rebel forces announced they had broken the government's month-long siege, raising the prospect of food and aid being driven through a narrow split in the frontline.

But two days later the Syrian government said the route has once again been closed, with President Assad regaining the upper hand in the strategically important city.

But Abdulkafi Alhamdo, who is in the city, told ITV News that rebels are still holding their gains.

UN officials said an urgent 48-hour break in hostilities would allow essential infrastructure to be repaired after airstrikes stripped the city of its electricity or access to the public water network.

The organisation called for an end to the siege of the Syrian city and said that to deliberately deprive people of food and water constituted a "war crime".

"The UN is extremely concerned that the consequences will be dire for millions of civilians if the electricity and water networks are not immediately repaired," said a joint statement from Yacoub El Hillo, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, and Kevin Kennedy, UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis.

Senior UN officials said that water available through wells and tanks in Aleppo is not nearly enough to sustain the needs of the population.

The UN children's agency Unicef also warned the two million residents were at risk of disease and dehydration after being cut off from from safe water supplies.

“Children and families in Aleppo are facing a catastrophic situation," said Hanaa Singer, Unicef Representative in Syria.

"These cuts are coming amid a heat wave, putting children at a grave risk of water-borne diseases.

“Getting clean water running again cannot wait for the fighting to stop. Children’s lives are in serious danger.”