Doctors without Borders call for probe into bombing of 2 Syrian hospitals

 Doctors without Borders (MSF) called for states implicated in the war in Syria to activate an independent investigation into the facts surrounding the bombing of two MSF-supported hospitals in Idlib, northern Syria.

In a press conference in Geneva, MSF International President Joanne Liu said the investigation can be through the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) or any other available independent mechanism.

“The bombing of the Ma’arat Al-Numan hospital is a blatant violation of the laws of war, and it is only the tip of the iceberg in attacks on medical facilities in Syria,” Liu said. “We say loud and clear: the doctor of your enemy is not your enemy," she said according to an MSF press release.

The latest attack came just three days ago, on February 15 in Ma'arat al-Numan, Idlib Province. At 9:00am, airstrikes destroyed a hospital supported by MSF. At least twenty-five people were killed, among them 9 medical personnel and 16 patients. Ten others were wounded. 

According to accounts from medical staff onsite, four missiles struck the hospital in an attack lasting about two minutes. Forty minutes later, after rescuers arrived, the site was bombed again.

These secondary strikes - in military jargon – known as “double taps” – that target rescue and medical personnel trying to save the injured are outrageous, she said.

But it didn’t stop there. A nearby hospital that received many of the wounded from the first strike was itself hit an hour later.

This cynical destruction of hospitals and killing of medical personnel deprives entire communities of critical medical care.

This attack can only be considered deliberate. It was probably carried out by the Syrian-government-led coalition that is predominantly active in the region.

The hospital in Ma'arat al-Numan was a lifeline. It was a 30-bed facility with 54 staff, two operating theaters, an outpatient department, and an emergency room. Thousands of people were treated monthly.

Source: MENA