MARK COLVIN: The International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria says constant indiscriminate shelling in and around Aleppo has killed or wounded countless civilians, including patients and medical workers.
The ICRC says that every neighbourhood in the city has come under fire in the last few days, and vital infrastructure's been repeatedly hit.
The ICRC'S head of delegation in Syria, Marianne Gasser, is in Aleppo.
She spoke to me a short time ago.
MARIANNE GASSER: There is heavy fighting on a daily basis, at night it is very difficult for the civilian population on both sides of the city.
Today we can say that there is no neighbourhood of the city that has not been hit. This fighting is continuing since July 2012 and people are living on the edge.
MARK COLVIN: So what's it like for a civilian family not taking part in the hostilities, how do they go about getting food or getting clean water, and what happens to them if one of their members is injured?
MARIANNE GASSER: For the civilian population, the situation in Aleppo is extremely difficult.
There is a lack of electricity. Two months ago when I was in Aleppo there was almost no electricity at, so people count on a few generators but not everybody can afford the generator and even if you can afford the generator, you need fuel and there is a lack fuel.
The lack of electricity affects also mainly hospitals because without electricity, operations are delayed, emergency cases cannot be treated and even it happened that incubators cannot function.
We did a few months ago frontline operations with a generator to bring it to a paediatric hospital in the eastern part of Aleppo and this I have to say saved lives, saved babies.
MARK COLVIN: What about the water situation which almost inevitably if it gets bad enough leads to terrible health problems.
MARIANNE GASSER: Exactly. Water is a major issue in Aleppo. There is huge lack of water.
I have to say that water in fact have been attacked, have been also damaged and destroyed like hospitals.
The ICRC, The Syrian Arab Red Crescent, with the water board authorities, we have also installed, repaired, and maintained numerous bores in the city because without the bore holes would be almost no water at all in Aleppo City.
MARK COLVIN: And are the Red Cross and Red Crescent immune from the fighting themselves? And are doctors, nurses, hospitals immune from the fighting?
MARIANNE GASSER: No because as I said in Aleppo on both sides of the conflict there is a regular shelling, fighting, and the mortars, shells, bombs, rockets, so we try to do our best to take measures but as I said before everyone here fears for their lives and nobody knows what is coming next.
MARK COLVIN: A lot of people who are listening would feel helpless, would feel powerless to do anything about this. What do you want people and particularly their governments to do at this stage?
MARIANNE GASSER: We are doing a lot here in Aleppo but the needs are growing so much because of the intense fighting, we should deliver much more aid.
And in order to reach people on both sides of the frontline, people must see the ICRC, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and other humanitarian organisations, as neutral and impartial organisations.
We have to take contact with all parties to the conflict and in order to deliver aid.
MARK COLVIN: So if the city is cut off, how is the aid going to get in?
MARIANNE GASSER: Yes, we are continuing contact with almost all parties to the conflict with the Syrian authorities, with opposition groups, with other actors because we all know that there other actors involved in the Syrian conflict and we are pushing to have regular access.
We are doing so not only for Aleppo but in other areas throughout the country and what we want is to provide much needed humanitarian assistance because human suffering in Syria has worsened, it has not diminished, and what today we can say: humanitarian aid will and cannot solve this conflict, only politics can and only an end to the fighting pursued in conjunction with a long term, sustainable political solution will begin to truly provide respite.
MARK COLVIN: Marianne Gasser from the ICRC speaking to me from Aleppo in Syria.