9-month-old twins among youngest victims of Syria chemical attack

Nikki Haley holds up photos of victims of the Syria chemical attack.
(Image credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

Tuesday's toxic gas attack against the rebel-held Syrian city of Khan Sheikhoun left Abdel Hameed al-Youssef's 9-month-old twins dead.

The 29-year-old told The Associated Press on Wednesday that in addition to his children, two of his brothers, two nephews, a niece, and his sister-in-law all died in the horrifying attack. "I was right beside them," he said, adding that after about 10 minutes, "my children couldn't handle it anymore." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said at least 72 people were killed in the attack, including nearly two dozen children.

The Syrian government has denied responsibility for the assault, with the military declaring it is too "honorable" to have done such a thing. Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has said Syrian airstrikes hit a rebel munitions factory that released the toxic gas, but witnesses say opposition groups were not responsible.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.