The United Nations called Thursday for a pause in fighting around the Syrian city of Raqqa, where U.S.-led coalition attacks have killed hundreds of civilians held hostage by ISIS fighters. The U.N.’s humanitarian adviser for Syria, Jan Egeland, said an estimated 20,000 civilians are trapped in dire circumstances.

Jan Egeland: “The casualties, civilian casualties, are large. And there seem to be no real escape for these civilians. … I cannot think of a worse place on Earth now than in these five neighborhoods and for these 20,000 people.”