DOHA: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has strongly condemned yesterday’s air strike on a civilian area in Syria which resulted in five civilian casualties including two infants. The air strike has forced QRCS health centre in the area, that serves a population of 50,000, to stop its services.
The air strike on Latamneh in northern Hama countryside, where one of QRCS health facilities is active, led to death of a man, woman and their three month-old baby girl, as well as a mother and her one year-old son.
These civilians were waiting to receive medical attention at QRCS’s Latamneh Primary Health Care Centre.
In addition, 10 civilians were injured as a result of the air strike, including two staff members of the centre, a nurse, and a medical doctor.
Major damage was incurred to the centre, which provides medical and health care to 900 people monthly, mainly women and children.
The centre also provides laboratory services and contains a pharmacy that serves a catchment area of 50,000 population. The Latamneh centre has temporarily stopped its services to assess the safety status of the area and its staff.
“Targeting a medical centre that offers primary health care services with a particular focus on mother and child care and killing two toddlers and their mothers are clear violations of all international laws. We are appealing for help to stop the killing of innocent children and calling on the international community to ensure the protection for medical facilities that provide civilians with the medical services they need,” said Dr Hashem Darwish, Head of Health Programmes at QRCS’s Mission in Turkey.
This direct targeting of defenceless civilians represents a stark violation of the most basic tenets of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law. It is in direct defiance of the multiple UN Security Council Resolutions condemning the direct targeting of civilian areas in situations of armed conflict.
In particular, the UN Security Council Resolution 2286 (2016) “strongly condemned attacks and threats against the wounded and sick, medical personnel and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, their means of transport and equipment, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities”.
QRCS officials stressed that they will not be discouraged from pursuing its humanitarian mission in Syria and will continue to uphold humanitarian values and the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Early in October, QRCS’s Sakhour Primary Health Care Center in eastern Aleppo was completely destroyed by two direct air strikes.
