Close to 1:30 a.m. (Damascus time) on November 6, 2019, two airstrikes, ten minutes apart, targeted the Shannan Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Areeha, Idlib. Three medical staff were wounded. In addition, the hospital was heavily damaged, part of it going up in flames, and it is out of service for the foreseeable future. Patient casualties were avoided since the hospital had been evacuated following the first airstrike.
Later, at 4:20 p.m. (Damascus time) the Kafr Nabl Surgical Hospital was hit by an airstrike. This hospital sustained material damage and was put out of service. These two strikes follow on from attacks that occurred on November 4, 2019, when two Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations / Union des Organisations de Secours et Soins Médicaux (UOSSM) medical facilities were attacked. These facilities were located in Jisr Al Shughour, Idlib in Syria.
The Syrian Civil War is an ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria fought between the Ba’athist Syrian Arab Republic led by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against various domestic and foreign forces. The war has been classed as the second deadliest in the twenty-first century.
One of the strikes was at an ambulance point was hit by artillery strikes at 1:45 p.m. Minor damages were reported and the facility was put out of service. The other attack was aimed at Jisr Al Shughour Health Center, Idlib, which was was attacked at 3:30 p.m. The primary health care center was directly targeted by artillery strikes and sustained minor damages. No injuries or fatalities were reported. The facility was put out of service.
Each of the four targeted facilities, was supported by UOSSM. According to Dr. Hussam Al Fakir, Chairman of UOSSM International in a communication sent to Digital Journal: “From January 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019, 65 medical facilities were attacked killing 51 medical staff and injuring 84. It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that these attacks are intentional and will continue as long as perpetrators are not held accountable for war crimes.”
The aid worker adds that: “The real cost nobody sees are the children suffering and dying because all nearby medical facilities have been destroyed. Mothers risk their families’ lives every time they bring them in for a medical treatment. This is unacceptable. Doctors should not be terrified to come into work.”
