Syria’s ‘sarin gas massacre’ death toll hits 72 as heartbroken dad holds his dead twins in his arms

A DEVASTATED father has shared photos of him holding his deceased twins in his arms after they were killed in a suspected chemical gas attack in Syria.

Abdul-Hamid Alyousef, 29, is pictured cradling the bodies of his toddlers, Ahmed and Aiya, who are wrapped in white blankets.

It has been reported that the twins died after being bombed by warplanes believed to be carrying weapons containing sarin in Khan Sheikhoun, in the rebel-held central province of Idlib, Syria.

Alyousef wanted to share the pictures of his children to show the horror of toxic gas attacks.

He also lost his wife, two brothers, nephews and many other family members in the attack that claimed scores of his relatives.

The heartbroken father himself is now reported to be in hospital suffering from the effects of the poisonous chemicals.

The death toll from the suspected chemical attack currently stands at 72, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and is expected to rise.

The attack on Khan Sheikhoun killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets.

Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country's six-year conflict.

Syrian doctors said a combination of toxic gases is suspected to have been released during the airstrikes, causing the high death toll and severe symptoms.

A number of high-profile political figures have spoken out about the attack.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said "all the evidence" he had seen so far in the latest chemical weapons attack in Syria "suggests this was the Assad regime ... (that) did it in the full knowledge that they were using illegal weapons in a barbaric attack on their own people."

Theresa May, the British Prime Minster has also called for an investigation into the chemical attack.

On a trip to the Middle East that if the Syrian government were proven to be behind the attack, it would be more evidence of its “barbarism”.

And she ruled President Bashar al-Assad out playing a role in the future of Syria.