\n A maternity hospital supported by Save the Children was bombed Friday in an air raid in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, causing casualties and damage, the Britain-based charity said.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a jihadist from Al-Nusra Front, which has changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, was killed in the raid.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Save the Children supported maternity hospital in #Idlib bombed, casualties reported - numbers unconfirmed,\" the charity tweeted.\n<\/p>\n
\n It said the bomb hit the entrance to the hospital.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"This is the only hospital specialising in maternity and children in the northern western side of rural Idlib,\" a statement said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Alun McDonald, Save the Children regional media manager, said in a separate statement: \"There are initial reports of some casualties among patients and staff, although numbers are so far unconfirmed.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n The Britain-based Observatory, quoting local sources, said a jihadist was killed in the raid that struck the hospital in the rebel-held town of Kafar Takharim, leaving it heavily damaged and barely operational.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"It was him that was targeted. He went to visit his wife who had just given birth when the bombing happened,\" said the monitoring group's head, Rami Abdel Rahman.\n<\/p>\n
\n The bombing came a day after the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, said it was breaking ties with the global terror network and changing its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.\n<\/p>\n
\n Save The Children said the hospital is the biggest maternity facility in the area, serving over 1,300 women monthly and delivering up to 700 babies each month.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"The hospital has six incubators for premature babies, and an outpatient clinic for supporting pregnant women and providing after delivery care,\" it said.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Observatory did not specify if the raid was carried out by Syrian regime aircraft or warplanes of its Russian allies.\n<\/p>\n
\n Amnesty International said the strike \"appears to be part of a despicable pattern of unlawful attacks deliberately targeting medical facilities\" across Syria and a \"potential war crime\".\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Deliberate attacks on hospitals and medical facilities are serious violations of the laws of war and can never be justified,\" said Amnesty's Philip Luther.\n<\/p>\n
\n Several clinics and makeshift hospital in rebel-controlled areas have been hit by Syrian regime air strikes, particularly in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.\n<\/p>\n
\n Last week, air raids struck four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank over a 24-hour period in the regime-besieged eastern sector of the city of Aleppo.\n<\/p>\n
\n In a separate statement, Sonia Khush, Syria director for Save the Children, said the situation for an estimated 100,000 children trapped under siege and bombardment in Aleppo is \"desperate\".\n<\/p>\n
\n \"The world cannot turn its back while children are bombed and then denied medical treatment,\" she said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"We need an end to the indiscriminate attacks on civilians and immediate and unfettered access for humanitarian aid.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n The five-year conflict in Syria has left over 280,000 people dead and displaced millions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A maternity hospital supported by Save the Children was bombed Friday in an air raid in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, causing casualties and damage, the Britain-based charity said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a jihadist from Al-Nusra Front, which has changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, was killed in the raid. \"Save […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-28640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n