Hundreds who fled rebels tell stories of starvation and loss

At a shelter in Damascus, the strain of life under a crippling siege not far from the Syrian capital is etched on the gaunt faces of those who have escaped.

Hundreds of families have fled the district of Eastern Ghouta in the past few months, after 18 months of hunger and deprivation at the hands of rebel forces.

In the courtyard of the shelter in a multistory building, 52-year-old Abu Ali lies on a mattress on the ground, his walking stick next to him.