Reports | 9 01 2026
rozana
Aleppo — Fear and displacement are spreading across Aleppo as renewed clashes force residents to flee their homes, leaving many struggling to reach relatives or secure basic necessities. Civilians describe a rapidly worsening situation marked by panic, disrupted communications, and growing uncertainty about personal safety.
Noor, who is currently in Turkey, said she spent hours attempting to contact family members living in a neighborhood close to the front lines.
Communication was completely cut off, she said, heightening fears for their safety. When contact was eventually restored, her relatives told her they had fled to another part of the city after enduring a night of intense fear, shelling, and widespread power and communications outages.
Rozana’s camera documented widespread displacement early today from the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, as residents fled toward other areas inside the city or to locations outside Aleppo.
Residents flee the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo. – Rozana
In a powerful testimony to Rozana, a woman displaced from the neighborhoods of Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud pleaded with the warring sides to spare civilians.
“If you want to fight each other, then go fight somewhere else — far away. Take the war far from here,” she said. “There is a nine-year-old girl in the house. My God, how are we supposed to get her out? The neighbors fled and left the girl behind.”
In a separate account, another displaced woman told Rozana’s field correspondent that civilians are desperate for the most basic needs, not violence.
“We only want bread,” she said. “We do not want blood from either side. We are civilians. We just want to live.”
Residents say large numbers of civilians began leaving their homes in the early morning hours, particularly from the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, following a sharp escalation in fighting.
According to the Syrian Civil Defense, more than 2,300 people had been displaced by early afternoon, the majority of them women, children, and elderly individuals.
Layla, a resident of Ashrafieh, said she and her family were forced to flee their home under fire. She described leaving amid active clashes and shelling, as families rushed to escape the area in scenes marked by fear and confusion.
Her account reflects the dangers faced by civilians trapped between warring sides.
Other residents described the situation as “very bad,” pointing to blocked main roads and severe restrictions on movement that complicated efforts to flee.
Residents flee the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo. – Rozana
Muneer, another Aleppo resident, said he decided to leave the city altogether and seek refuge in a nearby rural village after witnessing growing numbers of families fleeing. Many of those displaced, he said, had no clear destination or access to shelter.
For many Aleppans, the current wave of displacement has revived painful memories of earlier stages of the conflict.
Residents and observers compared the scenes unfolding today to the mass displacement that accompanied the city’s devastating battles between 2013 and 2016.
Residents flee the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo. – Rozana
Several civilians said the fear and trauma feel strikingly familiar, as neighborhoods once again empty under the pressure of violence.
Local authorities have urged residents in affected areas to remain in their homes and avoid misinformation.
However, many civilians say the intensity of shelling and the proximity of fighting have made staying untenable. As displacement continues within the city, humanitarian needs are growing, particularly for shelter, food, medical care, and basic services.
As fear spreads and families are forced to flee once more, residents warn that conditions in Aleppo are deteriorating quickly, underscoring the urgent need to protect civilians caught in the renewed violence.