Turkey's attacks caused significant damage to vital infrastructure in northern and eastern Syria, depriving millions of people of essential services.

While the world focuses on the conflict in Gaza, there is devastation in northern and eastern Syria, with Turkey intensifying attacks via drones and targeting vital civilian infrastructure.

The attacks have deprived citizens of electricity, water, and medical care, among other basic services.

In late October 2023, Human Rights Watch released a report saying Turkey's attacks in the northern and eastern Syrian autonomous regions violated international law, cutting off water and electricity to millions of people.

In December and November, Turkey stepped up attacks, targeting medical facilities and access roads used by humanitarian workers, it said.

Turkey's attacks have targeted some civilian facilities, including hospitals, bakeries and water supplies, while fuel for cooking, heating and agriculture is running out.

One million people in urban and rural areas have been cut off from electricity and more than 2 million have been deprived of clean water, the NES NGO Forum said.

Medical facilities were targeted in December, crippling oxygen supplies to more than a dozen private and public hospitals as the attacks disrupted services at 28 health facilities, increasing the risk of water-borne diseases.

"The scale of the damage is huge, crippling civil society," the forum warned.

Turkey has been conducting military operations and air strikes in northern Syria for years. Turkey must immediately stop targeting civilian infrastructure, respect international humanitarian law and hold those responsible for serious violations accountable.