A/HRC/31/68 D. Attacks on public spaces 76. Areas where civilians gather have been targeted for aerial bombardment, shelling and suicide bombings. During the period under review, hundreds of men, women and children were killed while shopping in open-air markets, waiting for taxis at roundabouts or crossing public squares. 77. Government forces continue to strike markets, bakeries and venues offering humanitarian assistance. On 30 June, 12 and 16 August, 30 October and 13 December, residents of Duma were killed while shopping in vegetable and meat markets. On 12 August, government planes struck three separate markets. Four days later, a crowded Sunday market was struck, killing 100 people. There appears to be no military justification for these attacks. The strike on Sad al-Looz market in Al-Shaar neighbourhood, Aleppo city, killed more than 25 civilians shopping for Eid. 78. Air strikes have hit bakeries, as in Qaryatayn (Homs) on 2 November and in AlHuluk neighbourhood (Aleppo city) on 2 December. In the latter attack, five civilians were killed, including a child. In November, a projectile fired from a pro-government plane attacked a truck depot in Azaz (Aleppo), destroying vehicles distributing humanitarian supplies. 79. ISIS has targeted civilians with suicide bombings in enemy-controlled territory. Its fighters carried out car and suicide bombings in streets full of civilians and near hospitals in Ar Raqqah, Hasakah and Homs. 80. Such attacks serve to terrify civilians, removing even the possibility of an assurance of safety. Attacks, which dominate news headlines when they take place in Europe, are tragically commonplace in the Syrian Arab Republic. E. Cuts to electricity and water 81. Millions of Syrian residents have little or no access to electricity and running water. In some instances, notably in besieged areas, electricity and water have been deliberately cut, intensifying the suffering of the civilian population within. In other areas, incidental destruction and damage to electrical grids and water pumping stations from clashes or bombardments have caused cuts. 82. Continuing hostilities have undermined efforts to repair, maintain and upgrade electricity production and water pumping and treatment facilities. This is particularly the case where water and electrical networks for a locality have fallen under the control of an opposing party. In some instances, the economic crisis brought about by the conflict has relegated repairs and maintenance to low-priority concerns. 83. While some people have access to generators and fuel, and/or live in areas with wells, many do not. Lack of electricity forces civilians to stay in unheated homes, schools and hospitals. The United Nations Children’s Fund denounced the fact that dwindling supplies of potable water risked exposing children to water-borne diseases.4 Drinking, cooking with and bathing in untreated water may cause bacterial infections. 84. Alongside the rising health concerns, electricity and water shortages have rendered hospitals and clinics unable to function, further limiting access to medical care. 4 12 UNICEF, “Millions of children in Syria at high risk of disease amid water scarcity and summer heat”, news note, 10 July 2015.