Statement by DR. ROLA HALLAM on AL-ATAREB HOSPITAL

Attack following broadcast of documentary featuring the British-Syrian doctor who helped build the hospital.

Today, Sunday 21st March 2021, at 08:20am local time, The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) reported an attack on one of their hospitals. ‘3 artillery strikes targeted Al-Atareb Surgical hospital in Western Aleppo. The attack resulted in 6 fatalities among patients, 5 men, and one child. An additional 16 people were injured, 5 of them from the medical staff...At least 4 injuries are critical.’

Yesterday, Saturday 20th March 2021, the documentary Syria’s Schools Under Attack was aired on the BBC. The documentary featured footage shot at the Al-Atareb hospital in 2013 of me, treating children after their nearby school has been bombed and documented the continual attacks on schools throughout the conflict.

On Friday 19th March 2021, a report by TRT discussing SAMs new, underground ‘cave’ Atareb hospital was released. Having been bombed twice since then, the hospital had been moved underground to a different location in an attempt to keep it safe from attacks.

Are these coincidences? The last hospital to be targeted was 13 months ago on 25th February 2020.

With this regime there are no coincidences.

It seems the only ones who respond to our cries for help are the murderous regime themselves. For every crime we witness and bring to global attention they, mercilessly, respond with more war crimes. The silence and inaction of world leaders and the UN leaves us with two options: to die quietly or die shouting, but either way our fate is death.

Since the beginning of the conflict until February 2021, Physicians for Human Rights have corroborated 598 attacks on at least 350 separate facilities and documented the killing of 930 medical personnel. 90% of these attacks were perpetrated by the Syrian government and allied forces.

The British government and other states should urgently take three steps in defense of the Syrian people:

• Act to protect civilians, including funding early warning systems for the most high-risk schools and hospitals in Syria;

• Create a substantive plan for justice and accountability, condemning and fully investigating all attacks, targeted sanctions, an international criminal tribunal, and military intervention if necessary.

• Reverse the UK’s dangerous planned 67% funding cuts to the aid budget in Syria.

Dr Rola Hallam, CEO & Founder CanDo

We are raising money to install early warning systems in Syrain schools to save schools and protect Syrian Children. Find out more here.