The Syrian government has intensified its assault on the port city of Latakia, bringing the death toll to an estimated 34 people over the past four days. Witnesses say the army has rounded up civilians in a sports stadium and stripped them of identification and mobile phones after ordering residents to evacuate their homes. The siege of Latakia began on Saturday, with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces using snipers, tanks and, in a new tactic, navy gunships. The United Nations says more than 5,000 Palestinians fled a refugee camp in the city to escape the violence. U.N. spokesperson Christopher Gunness called on Syria to halt the attacks and provide access to the camp.

Chris Gunness: “We are extremely concerned about the situation in Latakia, where more than half the refugee camp, between 5,000 and 10,000 people, have fled. They fled incoming fire from gunboats, they fled incoming fire from the land, and security personnel told them to leave. We’re saying to the Syrian government we want immediate humanitarian access to tend to the sick, to tend to the dying, and to get our own programs up and running. The eyes and the ears of the world are watching. There’s diplomatic pressure, there’s political pressure. I would like to think there’s some kind of moral pressure, because this fighting, this attack on the refugee camp, has got to stop.”

Meanwhile, Syrian tanks have entered Homs, causing what local witnesses are calling a state of siege. The foreign minister of Turkey has again urged the Assad regime to end the violence, calling the plea the “final words” from the Turkish government. Human rights activists estimate around 2,200 people have been killed since the Syrian crackdown began in mid-March.