On the morning of 18 May, 13-year-old Fares was working with his parents, friends and neighbours in their fields in the village of Samuqa, Aleppo Governorate. They were harvesting their wheat and barley crops.
As they were working, the area was shelled by Turkish military forces. Fares and three other children were injured and taken to Afrin hospital. Fares had suffered a severe injury to his leg and was taken into intensive care. Doctors performed two operations on his leg and were finally forced to amputate it at the knee. Despite their best efforts to save him, Fares succumbed to his injuries and died the following day, 19 May.
Fares’ friend, Matar (14), was also treated in intensive care and had his leg amputated as a result of the shelling. He survived.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the deaths of 1,264 civilians in Syria in 2024, including 242 children.