A/HRC/24/46 June). The displacement of thousands of civilians and fighters, including hundreds of injured, followed. 24. At dawn on 7 June, the first group of civilians and fighters, numbering approximately 500 people, arrived at the Homs -Damascus highway. The majority of the group was able to cross, in spite of shelling from nearby army checkpoints, which caused a number of casualties. Continued shelling and the resulting deaths led the remaining thousands still waiting to cross to retreat a few kilometres to a farming area next to AlHussayniyah where they stayed until the following night. 25. At around 9pm on 8 June, the group of displaced tried once again to cross the highway but were targeted by shelling from army positions in nearby Shamseen and Shinshar. In an effort to facilitate the crossing of the highway by waiting civilians, antiGovernment fighters reportedly attacked the Shamseen checkpoint. By dawn, more groups of civilians and injured fighters were still unable to reach east of the highway. They returned to the area of the farms, where they spent two more days suffering from lack of water, food and medication. In one instance on 8 June, army tanks and troops from checkpoints in the area attacked the civilians and fighters hiding in the farms, but they were pushed back by anti-Government fighters. 26. On or around 8 June, following a negotiation, armed groups returned the bodies of two Hezbollah fighters in exchange for the safe passage of 34 seriously injured armed group fighters to the Lebanese Red Crescent. The injured fighters suffered beatin gs while under Hezbollah’s control but were taken alive to the border and handed over to the Red Crescent for medical treatment. 27. It was not until on or about 11 June that the groups of fighters and civilians were able to cross the highway and entered the localities of Shamseen, Hissiyah and Al-Dibah. They settled there for a few days before leaving to other areas across the country and towards Ersal in Lebanon. Casualties 28. The commission has, to date, been able to verify the killing of 450 people during the offensive on Al-Qusayr town. Approximately half were civilian casualties, killed primarily in the shelling and aerial bombardment of the town in the early days of the offensive. 29. While civilians were killed by gunfire, it has not been possible to determine who fired the shots or the circumstances under which the shooting took place. These civilians may have been killed in crossfire during the intense street-to-street battles. Findings Unlawful attacks Pro-Government forces 30. In its shelling and aerial bombardment of both Al-Qusayr and the Al-Qusayr region in the months and weeks preceding the military offensive – and in particular during the intense shelling which occurred in the ten days prior to the ground attack – Government forces conducted themselves in flagrant disregard of the distinction between civilians and persons directly participating in hostilities. 31. On 17 April, the aerial bombardment of Buwaydah Al-Sharqiyah killed at least 12 people, including two women and two children. On June 7, at least a dozen civilians 37