BEIRUT: At least 28 civilians have been killed by bombardment in the besieged Syrian opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, most of them in Russian air raids, a monitor said, reports AFP. Nineteen were killed in Russian strikes in the town of Misraba on Wednesday, while the remainder died the same day in regime strikes and shelling in other areas, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Seven children and 11 women were among those killed, according to the head of the Britain-based war monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman.

Victims were taken to a hospital in Douma, where an AFP correspondent saw rescuers bringing in mostly women and children.

Medical staff tried to revive an infant who had been pulled from the rubble, but without success. A young girl among the wounded received stitches for a serious injury to her face.

A medical source at the hospital told AFP: "Among the wounded were two women in their 20s. One of them lost both eyes and the other lost one eye."

Eastern Ghouta, one of the last remaining opposition strongholds in Syria, is controlled mostly by rebels from the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) group.

It has been under government siege since 2013, causing severe food and medicine shortages for around 400,000 residents. According to the Observatory, Russian-backed regime forces have increased their bombardment of the enclave in recent days in response to jihadists and rebels attacking regime positions near the town of Harasta.

The monitor relies on a network of sources inside Syria and says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used.

The bombardment comes despite Eastern Ghouta being one of four "de-escalation zones" agreed by Russia, as well as regime backer Iran and rebel supporter Turkey, to help halt fighting around Syria. Jaish al-Islam leader Mohammed Alloush on Thursday accused the regime of preparing an assault on the opposition stronghold.