Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has ordered a daily five-hour pause in the Syrian government’s assault on the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area.
It will start on Tuesday, and include the creation of a “humanitarian corridor” to allow civilians to leave.
The rebel enclave near Damascus, where 393,000 civilians are trapped, has been under intense bombardment by government forces with Russian support.
More than 560 people have been killed in eight days, a monitoring group says.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made the announcement about the “humanitarian pause”, saying it would run from 09:00 until 14:00 local time (07:00-12:00 GMT) daily.
In a further statement, the ministry said the Syrian Red Crescent would help set up the corridor and people would receive information about it via leaflets, text messages and videos.
