Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, strongly condemned the deadly bombing attack which struck the Al-Shifaa hospital in the rebel-held northern Syrian town of Afrin. Although the death toll of victims is still uncertain, UN News reported that at least 18 civilians lost their lives in the aftermath of the shelling, including members of the medical staff and hospitalized patients.  

According to the UN aid offices, the Al-Shifaa hospital has already been hit three times since 2019. These appalling attacks have destroyed a large part of the facilities of the building, preventing many people from accessing its health services. Imran Riza, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, and Muhammad Hadi, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syrian Crisis, stated that the Al-Shifaa hospital provides an average of 15000 medical services each month, including hundreds of newborn deliveries and specialized surgeries. In light of this, the military attacks targeting this building exacerbate the enormous difficulties of people living in the area, who already suffer from the protracted civil war which has been long tormenting the region.

As a response to this situation, Geir Pedersen urged all the parties of conflict to fully abide by the International Humanitarian Law provisions intended to protect civilians and civilian objects from indiscriminate military attacks. Indeed, as emphasized by Senior UN officials, the shelling of the Al-Shifaa hospital underlines the extensive need for holding perpetrators of these war crimes accountable. In addition, aware of the Syrians’ terrible living conditions, Pedersen called for a nationwide ceasefire agreement in order to stop the violence and atrocities occurring in the country.

Sources:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093972

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/13/syria-13-killed-in-hospital-attack-in-rebel-held-afrin 

Author: Gianpaolo Mascaro; Editor: Emily Herstine