Many of you have probably seen the videos that have been posted on social media (such as Facebook) about the bombing that recently took place in Aleppo, Syria. It was the first time that I have seen so many people look and react to what has been going on for five years now in Syria. All it took was one video of a hysterical young boy questioning a nurse if he is going to die; he had just been a victim of a chlorine gas attack. On Friday September 16 at 12:15 two Syrian Air Force helicopter squadrons and two other military units are held responsible for chlorine gas attacks on civilians. At least 71, 37 being children were treated for breathing difficulties. Chlorine gas is a crude weapon that can be lethal in high concentrations, in lower concentrations, it’ll cause lung damage or severe breathing problems as well as other symptoms, which can include vomiting and nausea. The use of chlorine and other poisonous gases are common in Syria’s civil war. Both sides have been accusing the other side for using it as a weapon of war, both sides have also been denying the use of these gases. These horrible weapons of gas are not the only thing being used and possibly not the worst that is happening right now.

As of now there are no longer any functional hospitals in eastern Aleppo, leaving 275,000 people without any form of health care. Civilians are being targeted and murdered in cold blood and more than 200 people have been killed in the past four days. On Wednesday, the last standing children’s hospital had been bombed while tending to victims of chlorine gas attacks. They forced staff to evacuate babies in incubators and other patients that were injured over the past few days of bombing. There have been so many airstrikes that rescuers are struggling to get to all the sights and find survivors. The latest assaults on Aleppo are part of a wider attack on Syrian rebels launched from the ground, the air and the sea, Russian aircraft carriers are firing missiles from off the Syrian coast.

People may hate to see these videos, hate to hear this horrible news, or just scroll on past so they don’t have to have it on their mind. But Syria needs our help, there is only so long a blind eye can be turned. Stop what you’re doing for five seconds and watch and listen and learn. This is the real world that we are living in people, our actions and carelessness become reality. Sad to say that it’s come this far for people to see a video of a child pleading for an answer whether he is going to die or not. Hopefully people will start to listen, speak up, and make a difference. We are not the only ones on Earth and we are not the only one’s suffering. Please, when the chance comes, reach out and help the Syrian refugees. I understand you’ve heard stories about ISIS coming in as refugees but not everyone is, there are people who genuinely need help. You may never be able to tell who that is but that gives you no right to reach out a helping hand. This war has gone too far for too long, too many have lost their lives.