Muslims around the world celebrated Eid-al-Adha, - days of remembrance - a festival commemorating Abraham's sacrifice of his son Ishmael before God sent a ram in his place. Muslims traditionally sacrifice sheep, cows and camels and share the meat among family and THE NEEDY.

In a sad and horrible irony, a fatwa or religious ruling by Muslim clerics now consent Syrians to eat cats and dogs out of desperation for food. This fatwa was specially created to relieve children of famine.

Eating dogs and cats are forbidden under Islamic laws - in fact, and in many cultures around the world.

However, "after reaching a desperate need and the stores of food were inadequate to feed the population under the siege," local clerics were compelled to allow people to eat dogs and cats," as told by Sheikh Saleh al Khatib in an interview with AFP.

"Of course there is no Eid for the children here. For them, Eid will come when they see a plate of rice," activist Abu Malek also told AFP.

In a statement from Mr Al-Khatib, he said that the fatwa consenting to eating dogs and cats was not a religious decision.

"We issued a religious edict allowing people to eat dog and cat meat. Not because it is religiously permitted, but because it is a reflection of the reality we are suffering."

Another local cleric called on other Syrians to look unto the hapless plight of their fellow Syrians near Damascus.

"How does the world sleep with full stomachs while there are hungry people, and not far from Damascus? Are you waiting for us to eat the flesh of our martyrs and our dead after fearing our lives?"

Australian officials had also shared their experience and knowledge of the harrowing situation in Syria.

In an interview with ABC's PM program, Australian Syrian Association President Mohammad al-Hamwi shared that there is rampant desperation in Syria.

"It's a big disaster, the crisis in Syria for over two and a half years. And now there is Damascus - blockade from the Assad regime from which there is no humanitarian aid, no food, no aid necessary for the children and their families. And many clerics, they did a fatwa and in case of this situation. It's not only about Damascus, also in homes. They're allowed to eat dogs, donkeys and cats in the meantime just for survival," Mr al Hamwi told PM's Lucy Carter.

Meg Quartermaine, Oxfam Australia's humanitarian support manager, stated that the humanitarian disaster in Syria is beyond words.

"Two million people have fled Syria. You know, the enormous numbers being hosted by Lebanon and Jordan: 700,000 in Lebanon, 500,000 in Jordan. Inside Syria, over six million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. That's a third of the country's population. I know they're only numbers but when you actually think of them in relation to, say, the size of Melbourne, two million people in Lebanon and Jordan: that's half the size of Melbourne. It's enormous," described Ms Quartermaine.

Magne Barth, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Syria, told of the difficulties they experienced in reaching far flung regions in Syria were starvation is rampant.

We now have one particular situation around Moaddamiyah, close to Damascus, where over the last few days thousands of civilians have been coming out. There seems to be an agreement to that effect and we know that they're very hungry. It's also from Moaddamiyah that there have been reports of starving children and others.

But then there are these particularly hard areas where fighting is very intense, which are partly besieged and where we have difficulties coming in. So again it's a very, very mixed picture but it's true that some of the most hard hit areas are very, very difficult to access."

Rami Adbel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP that the most heart-wrenching situation in Syria is seeing malnourished children fight for their lives.

"Children are worst off because they need the right kinds of food in order to grow. Adults can survive on whatever they can find, but what about the children?"

"On any given day in the emergency room, some four out of 10 patients I see are malnourished children. Many children have very low blood pressure, fatigue, dizziness, and a reduced (disease-fighting) white blood cell count. The worst affected by the food shortages are children aged under two years," Abu Mohammad, a doctor working in a field clinic in the Marj area east of the capital, told AFP.

"I get depressed in the clinic, because we don't have what we need to fight this," he added almost tearfully.

"Nothing, not even bread or flour has been allowed in for 96 days," Palestinian-Syrian activist said.

Videos of these malnourished children in Syria confirmed these hapless situations in Syria.