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The Syrian town of Madaya, near the border with Lebanon, has been under siege by Syrian regime forces and allied Hizballah fighters since the regime took over the area in July.

Residents are facing catastrophic conditions as the regime attempts to starve them into surrender.

"The victims of starvation are 62 martyrs up to date," Abu Hassan, the head of Madaya local council, told The New Arab.

"We eat herbs and leaves, but these are not available now so we just have boiled water and spices," said Abu Hassan.

As gruesome images surfaced of the effects of the siege on the 40,000 people held hostage by the Syrian regime in Madaya, people have taken to social media to express their outrage and call on the world to stop the regime-imposed famine.

Some social media users have also posted pictures of the siege victims, which we have not published due to the graphic nature of the images.