London – The Syrian government carried out overnight four air strikes overnight on hospitals and a blood bank in Aleppo putting them out of service, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
According to Reuters, three of the bombed hospitals are in Aleppo city which is divided between the government and opposition. The fourth one is in Aleppo’s western countryside.
Agence France Press (AFP) reported Independent Doctors Association (IDA) saying that the bombardment killed a two-day-old baby in the hospital.
Nine hours after the first attack, the hospital was targeted again at 1:00 AM which killed the infant after his oxygen supply was cut off.
IDA issued a statement saying that the “The doctors could only yell for their colleagues to take cover and shield the babies.”
The four hospitals hit were: Children’s Hospital, al-Bayan Hospital, al-Zahraa Hospital, and al-Daqaq Hospital. IDA said that they would all be going out of service “as a result of the escalating series of aerial attacks taking place against health facilities in Aleppo by Syrian and Russian warplanes”.
Activists inside the city said on social media that Aleppo has been under intensive attack since early morning.
Last year, World Health Organization (WHO) considered Syria to be among the most dangerous places for health care workers to operate with 135 attacks on health facilities, medical infrastructure and workers.
In recent months, several hospitals have been damaged and medical staff killed in Aleppo.
Since July 17, regime forces have been besieging the western neighborhoods of the city which is divided between government and opposition control.
Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) issued a report entitled: “Eastern Neighborhoods of Aleppo are Being Bombed and Besieged”. The report notes that government forces, with the support of local and foreign militias, have advanced to Mazare’ Al-Mlah area on 7 July 2016 which directly overlooks Castillo Road.
On 10 July 2016, these forces started targeting any vehicle passing on the road to tighten the siege on no less than 300,000 people living in the eastern neighborhoods of the city.
The report also said that Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) contributes to the siege of the neighborhoods by controlling al-Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood and banning the passage of civilians and aids.
The report recorded that since July 10, 99 civilians, including 25 children and 16 women, were killed in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo.
The government forces killed 71 civilians, including 18 children and 11 women, of which 14, including two children, who were killed as they were trying to pass the Castillo Road. Also, Russian forces killed 28 civilians including seven children and five women.