The report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Syria, which was mandated by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, states that indiscriminate attacks against civilians are now occurring on a daily basis in many areas of the country including Aleppo, Damascus, Dera, Larakia, Idlib and Homs.

“Gross violations of human rights have grown in number, in pace and in scale,” the Chair of the Commission, Paulo Pinheiro, told the Council this morning. “Civilians, many of them children, are bearing the brunt of the spiralling violence.”

Syria has been wracked by violence, with an estimated 19,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 18 months ago.

Mr. Pinheiro said the report, which is based on the Commission’s investigations and interviews conducted up until two weeks ago, had found reasonable grounds to believe that Government forces and members of the Government-controlled militia known as the Shabiha, had committed war crimes, gross violations against human rights and crimes against humanity.

Violations conducted by Government forces include murder, summary executions, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, sexual violence, violations of children’s rights, pillaging and destruction of civilian objects – including hospitals and schools.

The report also states that the socio-economic situation has further deteriorated, with 2.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid, and more than 1.2 million people internally displaced, half of which are children, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Mr. Pinheiro stressed that the situation was worsening in part due to the cumulative effect of conflict and economic sanctions. “The Commission maintains that sanctions result in a denial of the most basic human rights to Syrians. Scarcity of basic human needs such as potable water food, electricity, petrol and cooking fuel is causing rampant inflation,” he said.

In addition, Mr. Pinheiro warned that the conflict is spilling over into neighbouring countries, threatening stability and security in the region, and called on the international community to deploy renewed efforts to support the mission of the Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi, to stop the violence and find a durable solution to the crisis.

Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui of Syria said the Government regretted that the Commission’s report was “neither accurate nor objective” and that many testimonies in the report have no legal value. He also stated that many international parties are working to worsen the crisis by “instigating the media and training, funding and sending mercenaries to Syria.”

Mr. Hamoui added that Syria had cooperated with all initiatives to settle the crisis but terrorist groups in the country had no interest in reform or democracy and sought only to fragment the Middle East.

Established in September last year, the Commission has conducted more than 1,100 interviews and has delivered six reports and updates to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Syria.

Thousands of Syrians crossed into Lebanon on Thursday. Reports vary between 8,500 and 30,000 people having crossed in the past 48 hours. In consultation with government authorities, UNHCR and its partners are now in the field verifying numbers and assessing the profile and needs of newly arrived Syrians, with a particular focus on vulnerable people who may need immediate assistance.

With the rapidly evolving situation, it is not possible to give a precise number for those displaced in Syria. “As of last week, it was estimated that 1 million people may have been forced to flee inside the country since the conflict began [in March last year],” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told journalists in Geneva. “Many Syrians in general are running low on resources and are increasingly turning to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and other organizations for help.”

Thousands of mainly Iraqi refugees living in the Damascus suburb of Seida Zeinab have fled their homes due to violence and targeted threats in recent days. At least 2,000 have taken shelter in schools and parks in Jaramana district. Many Syrians have also moved there.

“I fear for the civilians caught up in the violence in Damascus, including the large Iraqi refugee population residing there,” said the High Commissioner. According to reports received by UNHCR, last week an Iraqi refugee family of seven were found dead in their apartment in Damascus, while three other refugees were killed by gunfire.

“Despite the security challenges, UNHCR staff continue to man hotlines and the Damascus, Aleppo and Al Hassekeh offices remain open. Hundreds of frightened refugees have called the hotline and outreach volunteers in the past 24 hours, reporting direct threats and fears of being caught up in the fighting,” UNHCR’s Fleming said.

In the past two days, UNHCR has distributed urgent grants to refugees who needed cash to rent apartments and to buy basic household items where possible. On Thursday, two truckloads of assistance were distributed by SARC volunteers in Damascus to Syrians and refugees, with more distributions planned in the coming days.

UNHCR Syria has more than 250 national and international staff, operating from offices in Damascus, Aleppo and al Hassakeh. There are over 88,000 registered Iraqi refugees, the majority of whom reside in Damascus, along with some 8,000 refugees from other countries. Over 13,000 Iraqis left Syria in the first half of 2012, mostly for home.

Meanwhile, UNHCR will extend the delivery of assistance to 175,000 Syrians from the current 125,000. To date, the majority of UNHCR’s assistance has been delivered by SARC volunteers to vulnerable Syrians in Damascus, Aleppo and al Hassakeh. UNHCR is also launching a project of one-time cash assistance for 25,000 Syrian families.

UNHCR and SARC have a network of 15 warehouses in country which are stocked to ensure the rapid availability of aid. UNHCR plans to expand this network further in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, UNHCR’s Fleming said that according to the refugee agency’s registration statistics, “On 18 July, 120,000 Syrian refugees sought protection in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.” She added that government estimates put the numbers much higher.

Guterres had praise for the humanitarian stand of the neighbouring countries. “I am extremely grateful Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey have maintained open borders,” he said.

Many newly arriving Syrian refugees are entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, with some coming with only the clothes on their backs and few or no financial resources, following many months of unemployment. The needs of those who arrived earlier in the year are also increasing as their savings have become depleted.

At the same time, the communities supporting the refugees are increasingly feeling the strain, with the local infrastructure and resources under severe pressure, in particular water, housing, capacity of schools and health facilities.

Two weeks after the launch of the Revised Regional Response Plan for Syrian Refugees, which encompasses the needs of seven UN agencies and 36 NGO partners, the US$192 million appeal is only 26 per cent funded. The Syria Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan, an inter-agency appeal led by the UN Office for Humanitarian Coordination (OCHA) to support affected Syrians inside their country, has only received US$38 million of the US$180 million needed.