Nearly 150 civilians were evacuated overnight from a health facility in Aleppo's Old City, the International Committee for the Red Cross said Thursday (December 8th).

The ICRC said the bodies of 11 people who died at the facility after being caught in crossfire or failing to receive medication also were retrieved, AFP reported.

The Syrian regime has recaptured around 80% of east Aleppo since beginning an assault three weeks ago, and tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced.

The ICRC said it carried out an operation overnight with Syria's Red Crescent to evacuate 150 patients and civilians from the Dar al-Safaa facility in the Old City.

Previously an elderly care home, the facility had been expanded to host patients with mental health problems or physical disabilities, the ICRC said, adding that around three dozen civilians, some of them injured, also sought refuge there.

"These patients and civilians had been trapped in the area for days because of heavy clashes nearby and as the front line kept drawing closer," said ICRC Syria delegation head Marianne Gasser. "Many of them cannot move and need special attention and care."

The two organisations had been trying to evacuate the facility since Tuesday, but were forced to postpone initial efforts because of heavy fighting.