Edinburg, Tx.- Another hospital was put out of service today after being struck and completely destroyed by an airstrike in Idlib, Syria at 11:40 a.m. Among the three casualties was one child; many others were also wounded.
The Al Shefaa Hospital, in the town of Ahsem, is one of the most important hospitals in the Idlib province, in Northern Syria, that provides services to a large number of people in the area, including the internally displaced.
This is the latest in a string of targeted attacks on hospitals and healthcare facilities despite the cessation of hostilities agreement UNSCR 2268, that was passed in February, and is in violation of International Law.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights issued a report documenting the killing of at least 81 medical workers over the first six months of 2016; eleven of those killed were in the month of June alone. In that same time period 80 medical facilities were targeted.
“This is a clear violation of International Humanitarian Law, we have repeatedly condemned these attacks and asked the international community to enforce such laws to protect healthcare facilities and healthcare workers to the fullest extent,” said Dr. Khaula Sawah, CEO of UOSSM USA, adding, “We at UOSSM and the Syrian medical community urge the United Nations and the international community to fulfill their basic responsibilities to protect civilians and civil facilities from being deliberately targeted.”
