i met alaa abd el—fattah in april 2014. he'd already been charged and he talked about how much worse things were than before the revolution. when you were confronting mubarak, hope was a material thing — like you could almost touch it, you know? and so, it was very easy to feel that it was worth it and people were taking these risks without feeling any kind of despair. right now, it's looking very bleak. alaa abd el—fattah was a leading light of the tahrir protests. articulate, secular, a software developer, used to paying a price for speaking out. he was jailed or threatened with arrest under all the recent regimes here. and when his son was born, he was in prison. alaa abd el—fattah was accused of organising this protest. the demonstrators appeared peaceful, the authorities were not. protests are effectively banned. i was in court to see him being convicted. 0thers came forward to say they planned the protest. he still got five years — another member of generation jail. his fractured family go through the motions

noor and alaa lived in rebel-held northeastern ghouta where more than 4 push00 people been killed in six days. following developments from london, charlie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we were able to speak with the family this morning and everyone is safe, but they didn't get much sleep. explosions continued throughout the night. they say they're too terrified to step foot outside their apartment. by the hour, the ferocious bombardment of eastern ghouta crept closer, to the neighborhood of 12-year-old noor and her 8-year-old sister alaa, until one air strike sent shards of glass and debris through their apartment, slashing alaa's forehead. we got through to their terrified mother, shamza khatib after the blast. >> we are in danger. >> reporter: i know you're in danger. i can hear that. i can see it. >> but the world is just watching what is happening in ghouta. why? why? why? >> reporter: and her message when we spoke to her again this morning. >> we are dying of hunger. we are in need of food and safe and freedom. please help us. >> reporter: the two little girls had ta

two sisters, alaa, aged eight, and moor, 11, were in their home war planes bombed our building. now... ghouta. look at home. this was sent to us by their mother. please help us. please save our children here in east ghouta. where is the humanity? i ask you, in the name of motherhood, please help us. getting on for 400,000 people, terrified by the sight and sound of aircraft, are thought to be in eastern ghouta, which is the size of manchester. the syrian regime insists it's targeting terrorists but it's clear many children are among the wounded and the dead. improvised hospitals have been set up in cellars and basements during the years of war. now, though, the medics are at full stretch. dr amani ballur wanted to send a message to the people of britain. translation: we never wanted the war and we don't want to live under it. for the sake of our children who've been blown to pieces, for the sake of our children who died of hunger, what we're seeing every day has caused us to collapse, both humanely and psychologically. we don't have anything more to offer. we're being bled out.

. >> reporter: ...of ten-year-old noor, and eight-year-old alaa, who tweeted their plight to the world. >> reporter: today, it was almost too late. an explosion blew out their windows, sending shrapnel and glass through their home, slashing alaa's forehead. we reached their mother, shamza katib, an english teacher, after the blast. how are your daughters doing right now? are they okay? >> reporter: she told us, she feels like her family and neighbors have been abandoned. or reporter: the syrian regime and its russian backers insist this week's assault is aimed at rebels, but with a civilian death toll in the hundreds, many of the victims are children. a sobbing father couldn't bring himself to let go. the state department has condemned the bombing, jeff, but the u.s. military has been incused on fighting isis in a different part of the country e ile the russians continue to prop up the syrian regime. >> glor: charlie d'agata, thank you very much. there is much more ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," including rare access to high- tech war games. >> reporter: we got the first look i

two sisters, alaa, aged eight and moor, eleven, were in their home when it was hit. warplanes bombed our building. now...ghouta. look at home. this was sent to us by their mother. please help us. please save our children here in east ghouta. where is the humanity? i ask you in the name of motherhood, please help us. getting on for 400,000 people, terrified by the sight and sound of aircraft, are thought to be in eastern ghouta, which is the size of manchester. the syrian regime insists it's targeting terrorists. but it's clear many children are among the wounded and the dead. improvised hospitals have been set up in cellars and basements during the years of war. now, though, the medics are at full stretch. dr amani ballour wanted to send a message to the people of britain. translation: we never wanted the war and we don't want to live under it. for the sake of our children who've been blown to pieces, for the sake of our children who died of hunger, what we're seeing every day has caused us to collapse, both humanely and psychologically. we don't have anything more t