UNICEF condemns shelling of hospitals in Syria's Aleppo

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday condemned the shelling of four hospitals in eastern Aleppo city and a blood blank that was reportedly hit several times on July 23 and 24 disrupting key life-saving health services for up to 300,000 civilians.

"According to reports, a two-day-old baby died in his incubator due to interruptions in the oxygen supply as a result of air strikes on al-Hakim. This UNICEF-supported paediatric hospital, the only one in the city, was reportedly hit twice in less than 12 hours," the UNICEF said in a statement. 

"All hospitals hit over the 48-hour-period are in the al-Shaar neighbourhood, a location with several health facilities in close vicinity to one another. These hospitals make up half of all health facilities operating in the area," the statement added.

"Health facilities in Syria are being attacked with alarming ferocity. According to WHO estimates, since the beginning of the year, there have been more than forty attacks on health facilities in Syria. It is estimated that nearly sixty per cent of public hospitals in the country have closed or are only partially functional," the statement said.

"Attacks on health facilities are a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and can amount to war crimes. Health facilities must never be attacked or damaged, and health workers should be allowed to provide medical treatment and services to all people in need wherever they are inside Syria," it added.

Source: MENA