The group of boys, consisting of boys aged 12-16 stared at the school walls blankly for years. Wondering why it was never renovated. Why it looked the same as it did more than 40 years ago. Did they not have the right to redecorate their school? They decided it was time to change the way the wall looked. With their graffiti and markers they wrote slogans they had learnt from children in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. They demanded change.

With that they all laughed nervously at their bravery and returned home feeling somehow liberated; a feeling children only dreamed they had in Syria. Little did they know they had to pay for that sensation. When the sun went down and sleep paralyzed all sensations, heavy footsteps were heard near the old school walls. Every single boy who saw, drew or even supported the slogans on the wall was awoken violently that night. The boys were dragged out of their homes by large armed men wearing uniforms. Their parents screamed and shoved the armed men helplessly. They were paying the price for years of silence.

Unable to understand their crime the boys cried as they were put together in small pickups and jeeps. They were dragged to small humid cells and beaten by large men. A kick in the rib for contemplating change; a blow in the face for asking for change; and a crack in the spine for feeling liberated. They sat in their cells for weeks, beaten and humiliated on a daily basis. As a final warning, their nails were yanked out of their fingers to teach them to never draw on the old wall.

Whoever survived the torture was later returned home, swollen and crushed. The dead were lucky to have never lived life to see the fate of the Syrian children in the future.

Family members and friends of the young boys swarmed the streets of the town of Daraa demanding justice be brought to those who tortured and killed their children. No one listened to them. Friends of friends and passerby’s later joined the angry group, forming a small demonstration. No one listened to their demands. The demonstration grew as more people were familiar with the recent events. There was finally a response. Live bullets and tear gas forced the crowds to split up the demonstrations temporarily. The demonstrations grew larger as angry crowds demanded for nothing but change and were not receiving it. The response was once again bullets and tear gas, however this time the bullets hit flesh. As more blood was spilt, the crowds grew more furious and larger.

The word about the demonstrations reached other provinces like Homs, Douma, Idlib and Damascus suburbs. Touched by the bravery of the little boys in Daraa, more little boys followed their example and drew on old walls. Demonstrations grew larger, demands progressed. People no longer wanted change and reformations; they wanted the complete removal of the old. They wanted Bashar Al Assad and his government to resign. While his grip tightened on his throne, more blood was spilt in demonstrations and more people grew aware of the situation.

The question is, what happened to the children? Did the government learn from their mistakes? Did they stop child torture and imprisonment? On the contrary, after the boys in Daraa, Hamza alkhateeb fell victim to their torture. His genitals mutilated, his body bruised from blows, arms dented with bullet holes and burns from cigarettes, and bones crushed. Him and thousands of children in Syria are paying the price for desiring what the boys in Daraa desired.

This revolution was ignited by the children, carried out by the children, and will be extinguished by the children.

“The humanitarian community has stressed time and time again that people must not be denied life-saving help and that the fighting has to stop,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said in a statement.

Humanitarian agencies have been denied access to Moadamiyeh for months, the statement noted. Although the evacuation of more than 3,000 people took place today, the same number or more remain trapped. There are reports of continued shelling and fighting in the area, preventing the completion of the rescue operation.

“I call on all parties to agree an immediate pause in hostilities in Moadamiyeh to allow humanitarian agencies unhindered access to evacuate the remaining civilians and deliver life-saving treatment and supplies in areas where fighting and shelling is ongoing,” said Amos, who is also UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Those already evacuated from Moadamiyeh received immediate assistance from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, UN humanitarian agencies and partners, local businesses and private individuals, including food, medical treatment and psycho-social support.

Amos said she continues to be “extremely worried” by the situation unfolding across Syria where ordinary women, children and men are facing horrific violence and brutality from all sides of the conflict.

Thousands of families also remain trapped in other locations across Syria, for example in Nubil, Zahra, old Aleppo town, old Homs town and Hassakeh.“Civilians must be allowed to move to safer areas without the fear of attack,” stressed Amos.

“It is vital that all parties to the conflict respect their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian laws to protect civilians and to allow neutral, impartial humanitarian organizations safe access to all people in need, wherever they are in Syria.”

The conflict, which began in March 2011, has claimed over 100,000 lives, sent more than 2 million people fleeing for safety to neighbouring countries and displaced 4.5 million within Syria.

“The first vehicle of the Chemical Weapons Investigation Team was deliberately shot at multiple times by unidentified snipers in the buffer zone area,” the spokesperson said in a media note.

“As the car was no longer serviceable, the Team returned safely back to the Government check-point. The Team will return to the area after replacing the vehicle,” the UN added.

The Team, led by Swedish scientist Dr. Åke Sellström, is spending up to 14 days, with a possible extension, probing the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Government at Khan al-Asal, as well as two other allegations reported by Member States. The team is working in cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPCW) and the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

“It has to be stressed again that all sides need to extend their cooperation so that the Team can safely carry out their important work,” the UN said in the note.

A statement issued this morning by the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says that Kane met in Damascus with high-ranking Syrian officials on 24 and 25 August seeking the Government’s cooperation in facilitating a swift investigation of the incident in the Ghouta area on 21 August involving the alleged use of chemical weapons.

“The Secretary-General notes the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic affirmed that it will provide the necessary cooperation, including the observance of the cessation of hostilities at the locations related to the incident,” the statement says.

Ban has instructed the Mission, led by Swedish scientist Dr. Åke Sellström, currently in Damascus, to focus its attention on ascertaining the facts of the 21 August incident as its highest priority, the statement says, adding that Dr. Sellström’s team is preparing to conduct on-site fact-finding activities, starting today, Monday, 26 August.

“The Secretary-General remains grateful for the cooperation and dedication of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPCW) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as for the commitment of their staff assigned to the Mission.

The statement says that Mr. Ban reiterates that all relevant parties “equally share the responsibility of cooperating in urgently generating a safe environment for the Mission to do its job efficiently and providing all necessary information.”

“The Secretary-General believes that the incidents reported need to be investigated without delay,” Ban’s spokesperson told journalists in New York, adding that the UN chief remains deeply troubled about the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria.

A UN team is currently in Syria spending up to 14 days, with a possible extension, probing the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Government at Khan al-Asal, as well as two other allegations reported by Member States.

Ban is requesting that the team, led by Swedish scientist Åke Sellström, be granted permission and access to “swiftly” investigate the incident which occurred on the morning of 21 August 2013.

“A formal request is being sent by the United Nations to the Government of Syria,” the spokesperson added. “He expects to receive a positive response without delay.”

Ban has instructed the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane, to travel to Damascus. Before the Government allowed access to the UN team, Ms. Kane consulted with Damascus on the modalities essential for cooperation to ensure the proper, safe and efficient conduct of the mission.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay today also urged the Government and opposition forces to enable the team to examine the site of the alleged attack “as a matter of utmost urgency.”

She called the allegations “exceptionally grave” and said the reported killing of hundreds of civilians, including many women and children, to be comprehensively proven or disproven “as soon as is humanly possible”.

Also Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, and on the Responsibility to Protect, Jennifer Welsh, added their voices to the growing list of senior UN officials condemning the alleged use of chemical weapons urging access “now.”

“We call on the relevant actors in Syria to act responsibly in the face of these extremely serious allegations, and to grant and ensure immediate access for the United Nations to investigate the circumstances of the alleged attacks with chemical weapons in Damascus,” Dieng and Welsh said in a statement.

“The alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria is yet another example of the crimes taking place in the country. All these crimes must be investigated immediately, and those responsible for committing them held to account, as an integral part of a peaceful and sustainable political solution to the disastrous conflict in Syria.”

Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson briefed the Security Council  in a closed-door session about the latest allegations. He stressed that they should be seen in the larger and broader perspective of the great need to end hostilities in the country through political means.

Following the meeting, Maria Cristina Perceval of Argentina, President of the Security Council during the month of August, said the 15-member council had “strong concern among the Council members” about the allegations, and a general sense that there must be clarity on what happened and that the situation has to be followed carefully.

Ban positively noted the meeting, particularly Ms. Perceval’s conclusion that the Security Council supported “his intention to conduct a thorough, impartial and prompt investigation.”

Both he and Pillay reiterated their calls for a halt to the shelling and fighting so that humanitarian assistance can be urgently delivered.

Since fighting began in March 2011 between the Syrian Government and opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad as many as 100,000 people have been killed, almost 2 million have fled to neighbouring countries and a further 4 million have been internally displaced. In addition, at least 6.8 million Syrian require urgent humanitarian assistance, half of whom are children.

Following a late-day closed-door briefing to the Security Council on the latest developments, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson reiterated Ban’s deep shock at reports of chemical weapons use in Syria.

“We see the need to investigate this as soon as possible; no matter what the conclusions, this represents a serious escalation with grave humanitarian and human consequences,” Eliasson told reporters outside the Council chamber.

He added that the UN investigation team is “in place” and that he and Ban hope the Syrian Government will give its consent so that the probe can be carried out.

“This should also be seen in the larger and broader perspective, namely the great need for cessation of hostilities,” he said of the dramatic situation, underscoring that: “What this incident has shown is that we must contain this conflict,” especially given its regional implications, and now, the possibility of the use of chemical weapons, which is to be investigated.

Stressing that there has been no confirmation of chemical weapons use, the Deputy-Secretary-General said senior UN officials are in contact with the Syrian Government.

Also at the microphone, Ambassador Maria Cristina Perceval of Argentina, President of the Security Council during the month of August, said there is “strong concern among the Council members” about the allegations, and a general sense that there must be clarity on what happened and that the situation has to be followed carefully.

A UN team is currently in Syria spending up to 14 days, with a possible extension, probing the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Government at Khan al-Asal, as well as two other allegations reported by Member States.

The team “is following the current situation in Syria carefully, and remains fully engaged in the investigation process that is mandated by the Secretary General,” Ban’s spokesperson told journalists in New York.

According to the agreement reached in Damascus in July, the two parties are discussing, in parallel, other allegations and their related sites.

“Professor [Åke] Sellström is in discussions with the Syrian Government on all issues pertaining to the alleged use of chemical weapons, including this most recent reported incident,” the spokesperson noted.

He added that Ban is aware that a number of Member States, the Arab League and the European Union have expressed grave concern about the most recent reports of the possible use of chemical weapons.

Ban and the Security Council reiterated that the use of chemical weapons by any side under any circumstances would violate international law, and reaffirmed the need for a “thorough investigation” of the alleged incidents, according to the spokesperson, as well as a need to cease hostilities.

Also today, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the reported attacks on civilians, which “presumably” included children on the outskirts of Damascus are “deeply disturbing.”

“Such horrific acts should be a reminder to all the parties and all who have influence on them that this terrible conflict has gone on far too long and children have suffered more than enough,” the UN agency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in Cairo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman met with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby today to discuss a range of issues, including efforts towards a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

The Joint Special Representative for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, who reports to both organizations, has been supporting efforts on a political solution including a second international conference on Syria to be held in Geneva.

The Ancient City of Damascus; Site of Palmyra; Ancient City of Bosra; Ancient City of Aleppo; Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din; and Ancient Villages of northern Syria were inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the World Heritage Committee.

“The danger listing is intended to mobilize all possible support for the safeguarding of these properties, which are recognized by the international community as being of outstanding universal value for humanity as a whole,” said a news release issued by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The decision was taken as part of the Committee’s review of the state of conservation of World Heritage sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List. Currently meeting in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, the Committee will close in Angkor on 27 June.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has repeatedly called on both sides of the Syrian conflict to do all they can to prevent the destruction of the country’s cultural heritage amid the violence, which is currently in its third year.

Several sites have already suffered damage or have been destroyed since the fighting began in March 2011. This past April, there were reports that the minaret of one of the country’s most famous mosques, the Great Mosque at the heart of the ancient city of Aleppo, was reduced to rubble.

Also, last October, the city’s souk – considered to be the world’s most extensive covered market and a coveted tourist destination – suffered major damage during a fire amid the fighting between the Syrian army and opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad.

More than 93,000 people have been killed so far in the conflict, which has also left 6.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and sent some 1.5 million fleeing to neighbouring countries for safety.

Assad’s comments came in a pre-recorded interview with al Manar television, a Lebanese satellite television station affiliated with Hezbollah.

Dozens of Hezbollah militants are said to be fighting alongside Syrian forces in Qusayr the since May 19, when government forces launched an offensive to recapture the strategic town near the Lebanese border. Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry said thousands of Hezbollah fighters were contributing significantly to the conflict in Syria.

Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said earlier this week that Hezbollah would fight in Syria until Assad’s survival was assured.

Assad, however, downplayed Hezbollah’s presence in Syria in his interview, saying that the number of fighters the Lebanese group had sent to his country was a “drop in the ocean” compared with the “hundreds of thousands” of Syrian government troops fighting against rebels.

“Logically speaking, if Hezbollah or the resistance wanted to defend Syria by sending fighters, how many could they send – a few hundred, a thousand or two? We are talking about a battle in which hundreds of thousands of Syrian troops are involved against tens of thousands of terrorists.”

Reports have said up to 4,000 Hezbollah fighters have joined forces with the Syrian military, which has claimed to be winning the battle, Al Jazeera said.

He noted that the timing of the Qusayr battle is linked to the “Israeli escalation”.

President Bashar al-Assad also said Syria would be willing to attend peace talks with the opposition in principle with the condition that anything agreed upon would be subject to the approval of the Syrian people through a referendum.

“Simply put, our only condition is that anything agreed upon in any meeting inside or outside the country, including the conference, is subject to the approval of the Syrian people through a popular referendum. This is the only condition. Anything else doesn’t have any value. That is why we are comfortable with going to the conference. We have no complexes. Either side can propose anything, but nothing can be implemented without the approval of the Syrian people. And as long as we are the legitimate representatives of the people, we have nothing to fear.”

Assad was referring to talks, backed by Russia and the US  next month in Geneva. Peace talks aim at finding a political solution to the country’s civil war.

On the other hand, the National Coalition said it will not take part in would not participate in the Geneva talks until the international community intervened to end a siege in Qusayr, a town in Homs province near the Lebanese border.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is distributing ready-to-eat food rations and high-energy biscuits to families who were forced to flee Baniyas and surrounding villages on Syria’s Mediterranean coast to Tartous city.

WFP aims to distribute supplied to more than 10,000 people – mainly women and children – in gathering points and shelters in communities such as Zamrin, Breej and Mrah, near Tartous city. Following the emergency ration, families will be given WFP’s regular food basket which includes rice, bulgur, sugar, pasta, vegetable oil and lentils.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), images of piles of bloodied and burned bodies, including of small children and babies, have been emerging – allegedly taken after Government forces and militia overran al-Baida and other parts of Banias last week.

WFP warned that ongoing classes on the main route between Tartous and the capital, Damascus, would significantly disrupt the movement of WFP cargo to the agency’s warehouse in the capital city. This poses a great risk as more than 60 per cent of all food stored in that warehouse – enough for one million people – arrived from Tartous Port through the Damascus-Homs highway, which was witnessing heavy fighting.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is supplying hygiene and children’s clothing to the displaced families through the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. In a briefing to reporters in Geneva, UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado said three trucks were also heading from Damascus to Tartous to distribute hygiene kits, clothing and high energy biscuits.

Ms. Mercado also drew attention an increasing number of damaged or destroyed schools in the country. According to the ministry of education, there are now over 2,960 damaged and destroyed schools out of a total of over 22,000 schools in Syria. Some 1,400 schools are being used as shelters, and 222 education staff had been killed.

She added that next week UNICEF will deliver 10 prefabricated schools to Adra in rural Damascus and one school in Damascus, the first installment of a total of 104 pre-fabricated schools provided to meet the huge demand for safe placed to learn across the country.

Syria’s state media on Sunday reported that Israeli missiles struck a military and scientific research center near the Syrian capital and caused casualties.

“The new Israeli attack is an attempt to raise the morale of the terrorist groups which have been reeling from strikes by our noble army,” Syrian television said referring to recent offensives by the forces of Bashar al-Assad against rebels.

“The new Israeli aggression shows the direct involvement of the Zionist entity,” it added.

The reports were later on confirmed by anonymous Israeli officials that the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike against a shipment of advanced missiles bound for Hezbollah.

U.S. President Barack Obama commenting on the incident said Israel has the right to guard against the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group, citizens in the Qudseyya suburb of Damascus reported seeing jets in the sky at the time of the explosions.

Video footage uploaded onto the Internet by activists showed a huge ball of fire rising into the night sky lighting up Damascus.

A Damascus resident described the blasts to Al Jazeera, saying they felt like “an earthquake” and “unprecedented”.

The attack, the second in three days, signaled a sharp escalation of Israel’s involvement in Syria’s bloody civil war.

Earlier, the site of Sunday’s explosion was the target of an Israeli strike on January 30 .