The Syrian regime and Russian warplanes have bombed at least six hospitals in the past month that were on a list shared by the UN with the warring parties in the hope of minimizing civilian casualties, according to Syrian doctors.
Two Syrian medical officials in opposition-held Idlib province in northwestern Syria told the Financial Times that the coordinates of the bombed hospitals were on a “deconfliction list” compiled by the UN’s humanitarian affairs office (OCHA), shared with the regime and its Russian backers.
The list includes civilian infrastructure such as schools, markets and medical facilities.
Munzer Khalil, director of Idlib’s health directorate, said that coordinates of at least six of the bombed hospitals had been shared, and he believed that the targeting of medical facilities was “systematic”.
Although difficult to prove, any intentional targeting of health facilities is a war crime, the Financial Times said.
“It is inexcusable that hospitals, schools and other infrastructure have been attacked despite OCHA’s deconfliction mechanism,” UK’s Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce said.
The World Health Organization said some 22 medical facilities had been attacked in and around Idlib during May.
Pro-regime forces have bombarded the area as a temporary truce brokered by Russia and Turkey has eroded, reigniting the fight for Syria’s final opposition-held bastion.
