Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS620

Incident date

February 15, 2016

Location

الحامدية, Al Hamidiya hospital, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.614779, 36.657085 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In a separate incident from the attacks on the National Hospital and the hospital for women and children (listed above for February 15th), between 13 and 26 civilians including up to seven women and at least two children died in airstrikes on the Médecins Sans Frontière (MSF) hospital at Al Hamidiya, according to multiple sources – though they were conflicted as to who was responsible for the attack, with some reports blaming Russia, other the Assad regime and one saying these were Coalition strikes.

Shaam News Network said Russian warplanes conducted four consecutive strikes on the MSF hospital leading to 13 deaths and and the building’s “total destruction“.

It also reported that the Health Directorate in Iblib “issued a statement regarding the Russian raids that targeted field hospitals today in a rural Idlib and Aleppo.” It said that the first attack was “at exactly 9 o’clock when the Al A’thmiya hospital was targeted which belongs to MSF which caused the total destruction of the hospital rendering it out of service completely. The planes came back and targeted the hospital again when the rescue teams had arrived to look for survivors which left 9 dead including a child and two nurses and dozens of injured.”

SNN later reported: “A spokeswoman for MSF in Turkey, ‘Sirab Ozturk,’ said that 11 bodies had been recovered, and confirmed the presence of 25 employees at the hospital during the bombing, stating that 15 of them have survived without injuries, while three employees were injured, and recovered the bodies of five employees and 5 patients and facilities.

“Ozturk explained they do not know how many people were inside the hospital during the bombing, because the bombing occurred during the night shift employees work shifts, saying: ‘We fear the increase in the death toll.’”

According to the Health Directorate for Idlib, eight of those killed were staff of the hospital, “including Doctor Imad Al Nissr from Khan Shaykhun City, two nurses and lab staff Ammar Hallak, Mohammad Shawwaf and Yahiya Qitaz and five nurses namely: Asma’a Dashash, Kawthar al Sawass, Lamia’a, Inas Hamra, Amna Hussein Al Hassan“. Al Jazeera put the death toll at 18, including nine doctors.

A Reuters report quoted the French president of MSF, Mergo Terzian, who said: “There were at least seven deaths among the personnel and the patients, and at least eight MSF personnel have disappeared, and we don’t know if they are alive”.

He added that  “The author of the strike is clearly…either the government or Russia,” and said that this was not the first time MSF facilities in Syria had been attacked.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, “warplanes believed to be Russian” were responsible – and they “renewed the bombing twice on the hospital’s area.

They published ten images, though it is not clear whether they refer to this incident or the strike on the National Hospital on the same day (listed above).

Initial reports by the Syrian Network for Human Rights blamed the regime, putting the death toll at at least 6 victims including 2 children.

However, in a later report, SN4HR appeared to change their position and attributed the incident to Russia, putting the death toll at 25 including a child and seven women.

But in an ABC report, Syria’s UN envoy, Bashar Jaafari, repeated Syrian claims that the US-led Coalition carried out the strikes; moreover, he added that it was MSF’s fault as they had never consulted with government re installing hospital: “‘The so-called hospital was installed without any prior consultation with the Syrian government by the so-called French network called MSF, which is a branch of the French intelligence operating in Syria,’ ambassador Bashar Jaafari said.”

The Violations Documentation Center named 16 victims, including an unidentified child.

An additional 15 victims – including six women were named by SPC.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male Listed by VDC, a nurse killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC, representative of doctors without borders killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Yehya Qetaz
Adult female Worked in the laboratory killed
Ala’a Hallak
Adult female Head of nursing killed
Mohammed Askur
Adult male Cleaner killed
Inas Hamza
Adult female killed
Kawthar Sawas
Adult female nurse killed
Lamya’a Fayluni
Age unknown female nurse killed
Asma’a Dashash
Adult female nurse killed
Hasna Ma’youf Al Ali
Age unknown female killed
Mohammed Jihad Al-Hussein
Age unknown male killed
Hadil Mohammed Al-Hussein
Age unknown female killed
Ala’a Abdulkarim Al-Jadou
Age unknown male killed
Yousef Ramadan Al-Jadou
Age unknown male killed
Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jadou
Age unknown male killed
Sulieman Khaled Al-Aboudi
Age unknown male killed
Fatima Al-Uleiss
Age unknown female killed
Bade’a Al-Khalaf
Adult female nurse injured
Munaf Al-Dani
Adult male nurse injured
Afra’a Aboud
Adult female nurse injured
Nermeen Al-Khalaf
Adult female nurse injured
Eyad Tu’ma
Adult female injured
Salam Al-Sufi
Adult female nurse injured
Ibrahim Al-Hussein
Adult male injured
Batoul Bakour
Adult female nurse injured
Rafif Harame
Age unknown female physiologist injured
Fatima Al-Mur
Age unknown female injured

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    16 – 26
  • (2 children1–7 women22 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (44) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (23) [ collapse]

  • Ammar Al Halaq, a nurse, who died in a strike on the MSF hospital on Feb 15th. (via SN4HR)
  • Images of the incident from SOHR
  • Images of the destroyed hospital by SNN
  • Yahia Abdul Karim Qeitaz, a pathologist from Ma’aret Al Numan city in Idlib governorate, killed in an alleged Russian an Syrian Regime raid. (via, SO4HR)
  • Emad Al Nesser, a doctor from Khan Sheikhoun city in Idlib governorate, killed in an alleged Russian an Syrian Regime raid. (via, SO4HR)
  • Mohammad Al Shawaf, nurse, killed in an alleged Russian an Syrian Regime raid. (via, SO4HR)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Footage showing a female nurse being pulled from under the rubble. (via, SNN)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    White Helmets rescue civilians from the rubble in the exact moments after the raid. (via, SN4HR)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    White Helmets rescue civilians from the rubble in the exact moments after the raid. (via, SN4HR)
  • The damage to the hospital. (via, Al-mara today)
  • Emad Eldin Mohamed Abubakar Nisr, a doctor, from Khan Sheikhoun city in Idlib governorate, killed in an alleged Russian an Syrian Regime raid. (via, Lyhbs)
  • Nurse, Muhammad chawaf, killed in an alleged Russian an Syrian Regime raid. (via, Maldoghem)
  • Civilians who were killed in the raid. (via, Maldoghem)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Civilians who were killed in the alleged raid. (via, Abusaman55)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Civilians who were killed in the alleged raid. (via, Abusaman55)
  • The hospital in the aftermath of the incident. (via, Abusaman55)
  • The hospital in the aftermath of the incident. (via, Abusaman55)
  • White Helmets clearing the rubble. (via, Al Jazeera)
  • Civilians clearing the rubble. (via, SPC News)
  • The aftermath of the incident. (via SCP News)
  • The aftermath of the incident. (via SCP News)
  • Minister of health in Idlib claims that the Russian warplanes bombed the hospital. (via, Abdulrazak Al-khalil)
  • A news bulletin. (via, Royanews)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Russian Military

Russia has not reported any airstrikes in Idlib for February 10th – February 16th. Commenting on the alleged strike on the MSF hospital, they have said: “Since the end of the last week, Turkey has been conducting massive artillery strikes of large-caliber artillery against the Syrian government forces as well as units of the patriotic opposition in border areas. Means of the objective monitoring data registered more than 100 artillery shots against bordering inhabited areas in the Aleppo province. Ankara has launched an aggressive information campaign in the leading world media agencies against Russia in order to prevent the loss of control over the northern and northwestern parts of Syria. There the Turkish leadership has been absolute landlords for the last years.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    16 – 26
  • (2 children1–7 women22 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (44) [ collapse]