Food supplies in war-ravaged areas of Syria have become so bad Muslim clerics are issuing fatwas declaring it permissible to eat cats, dogs and donkeys.
This time of year is marked by the three day global festival of Eid al-Adha, normally a time of feasting but many areas such as the Ghouta agricultural belt around Damascus of Syria remain under bombardment.
Consumption of the animals is normally forbidden under in Islam but food and aid supplies in some regions have become almost non-existent, reports the BBC.
The situation continues to deteriorate for civilians on the ground
Similar fatwas have been issued to Palestinians in cams Al-Yarmouk camp south of the capital.
A leading Imam said: "How does the world sleep with full stomachs while there are hungry people, and not far from the main city", reports the Jerusalem Post.
He added: "Haven’t you heard the fatwas that have filled our streets and mosques by permitting people to eat cats, dogs and other animals that have already been killed by the bomb attacks?
TODAY'S TOP STORIES
"Are you waiting for us to eat the flesh of our martyrs and our dead after fearing our lives?"
The situation in Syria remains dire with the international community deadlocked into inaction.
The official death toll is unknown but it passed 100,000 back in July.
Atrocities by both sides characterise the brutality of the conflict.