Missiles target civilians and hospitals in Syria

Ma’arat al-Nu’man Central Hospital Targeted by Four Airstrikes. SAMS Alarmed by Heightened Attacks on Healthcare.

At 6.30 pm local time on Wednesday July 10, 2019, four aerial missiles were fired in the vicinity of SAMS-supported Ma’arat al-Nu’man Central Hospital, causing considerable material damage to the facility.

One missile struck the hospital directly, while the other three hit the park outside the entrance. At the time of the attack, there were approximately 250 people, including 70 in the patient rooms and 48 children and infants in the pediatric and neonatal department, in addition to their family members and staff. Within two hours, the medical personnel started to evacuate patients to other nearby hospitals, and further reduced functionality. Fortunately, no staff or patients were injured in the attack.

Today, the hospital had already received 34 injured patients from Kafroumah. The staff bravely continued to receive and treat these emergency cases, even though warplanes were flying overhead. They refused to leave their patients behind.

Hospitals and healthcare centers taregted by missiles in Syria. Photo couertesy of SAMS

Saraqib Primary Health Center, which is supported by SAMS, and Jisr al-Shughour Hospital were also targeted today. Saraqib Primary Health Center was hit 100 meters away from the entrance. Both Ma’arat al-Nu’man Central Hospital and Saraqib Primary Health Center participated in the UNOCHA-led deconflcition mechanism. Since April 26, there have been 34 attacks reported on health facilities, 12 of which participated in the deconfliction mechanism. Despite all of that, these indiscriminate and systematic attacks on healthcare continue with impunity.

SAMS strongly condemns these attacks on healthcare, and calls on the UN and broader international community to intervene immediately to investigate these attacks against humanity and provide the necessary protections.

Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns

About
Latest Posts

rayhanania

Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter