The Assad regime forces had fired missiles carrying poisonous gases, probably Chlorine, on a residential neighborhood in Douma, in the besieged Eastern Ghouta on early Monday, the White Helmets, the Syrian Civil Defence reported.

At least 20 people suffered suffocation in the neighbourhood, with several children among them.

More than 20 of suffocation so far following the bombing of the Assad regime forces with missiles carrying poisonous gases (probably chlorine) on the residential neighborhoods in #Douma #Eastern_Ghouta #GhoutaIsBleeding pic.twitter.com/Ier1FIjR43

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) January 22, 2018

The bombing came amid continuous clashes between Assad’s regime forces and Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham, the Salafist militant group.

It is not the first time that Assad regime forces fire poisonous gases in bombing Eastern Ghouta, earlier reports showed that residents of the Eastern Ghouta region reported a smell of gas after a missile strike, and six people were reportedly suffering of minor breathing problems.

UNICEF confirmed in a report last week that at least 30 children were killed in escalating violence in the besieged Syrian city of Eastern Ghouta during the first 14 days of the year 2018.

"It is shocking that only in the first 14 days of the year more than 30 children have been killed in escalating violence in east Ghouta, where an estimated 200,000 children have been trapped under siege since 2013," a statement by UNICEF Representative in Syria, Fran Equiza, said.

Eastern Ghouta has been under siege since 2013 and its estimated 400,000 inhabitants are suffering severe shortages of food and medicine.

The UN said earlier that at least, 500 people are in critical conditions inside the neighbourhood and they are in urgent need to be evacuated for medical treatment.

In December, 29 patients, mainly children, were allowed to get treatment under a deal struck between the regime and rebels, with several had already returned.