End attacks on Syrian hospitals, Toronto medical advocates tell governments

Local medical advocates are calling on Western governments tostop the deadly bombings of medical facilities in war-tornSyria and declare them official war crimes after five such buildings were reportedly hit by missiles Monday amid a Russian-backed push bygovernment troops toward Aleppo.

Toronto-based Doctors Without Borders (MSF)executive director Stephen Cornishwas among the medical advocates expressing concerns following news of the missile strikes in Idlib province and in the rebel-held town of Azaz near the Turkish border.

The attack in Azazdestroyed a marked MSF facility, killing five patients andtwo staff. Another eight people are missing. Close to 50 civilians werealso killed in the attacks, according to the United Nations.Cornish said those killed were likely Syrian nationals.

"Our governments have to do more than simply condemn these attacks. They have to ensure that they stop occurring," Cornish told CBC News on Monday.

• Syrian civilians killed by 'deliberate' strikes on hospitals, school

'Everybody knows they're hospitals'

Cornish and his colleagues are among a group of advocates who believe Monday's strikes and others like them have intentionally targeted medical facilities. The MSF facility in Azazhad just been rebuilt in September 2015 following earlier attacks.

"Everybody knows they're hospitals," Cornish said. "At this stage, there's nothing left but the corpses of our patients and staff members under the rubble."

Syrian-Canadian medical doctorJayDahman, whohas travelled extensively to the area,says the situation since he was last there is only worsening.

"It's gut-wrenching They are deadly, accurate attacks nowadays and the destruction is way more than what it used to be," he said.

One measure the two would like to see implemented isa no-fly zone over hospitals to ensure the safety of patients and medical professionals.

"We forget that airstrikes from 40,000 feeteven with the best of intentions often come with much collateral damage, being civilian suffering and needless death and destruction," Cornish said.

'These are war crimes'

But both argue that Monday's casualties were deliberately targeted.

"These airstrikes in many cases are being carried out by government forces under the aegis of anti-terror measures or UN-sponsored measures whether they be in Yemen, Afghanistan or Syria," said Dahman.

Dahmaniswaiting to find out if any of those killed in the airstrikes in Syria were doctors that his group works with.

"There is no difference in the level of tragedy depending on what nationality," Cornish said.

"They are constant heroes day after day and they're being slaughtered," said Dahman. "They are not taking sides, they are treating people."

What's more, the apparent targeting is only adding fuel to the fire of the conflict as children who find themselves orphaned become easy child soldier recruits for ISIS and other organizations, he argues.

"In these cases, we're seeing what appears to be targeted death and destruction which can have no justification," Cornish said.

"[It] must be stopped if we are to continue calling ourselves humanitarians."