An Arab coalition air raid hit a Yemeni hospital on Monday, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 19, just 48 hours after strikes that killed children, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said.
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Another air attack a school in neighboring Saada province on Saturday, killing 10 children, but the coalition said the bombing had targeted a training facility run by Yemen’s dominant Houthi movement. Yemeni security and medical officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media, say the strike killed and wounded some 20 of the hospital’s staff and patients.
“Once again, today we witness the tragic consequences of the bombing of a hospital”.
Several people have been reported killed in an air strike on a hospital in northwestern Yemen in an area held by Houthi rebels.
Earlier this month, the coalition acknowledged that it had committed “unintended bombings” that caused civilian casualties during its almost 18-month air campaign, blaming United Nations agencies for not coordinating with it.
“Even with the recent United Nations resolution calling for an end to attacks on medical facilities and high-level declarations of commitment to worldwide humanitarian law, nothing seems to be done to make parties involved in the conflict in Yemen to respect medical staff and patients”.
In October previous year, more than 40 staff and patients were killed in a USA gunship raid on one of the charity’s hospitals in Afghanistan.
A spokesman for the United Nations said the organisation was aware of the latest reports from Yemen and was trying to gather some details.
“Without action, these public gestures are meaningless for today’s victims”.
The Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon wears a Refugee Olympic Team hat as a show of support during a photo call at United Nations Headquarters in the Manhattan borough NY, U.S., August 3, 2016.
“The secretary-general notes with dismay that civilians, including children, continue to bear the brunt of increased fighting and military operations in Yemen”.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau also expressed concern with reports of the airstrike, saying the State Department was in contact with Saudi authorities and still gathering information.
A hospital operated by MSF is examined after it was hit by an air strike.
“We call on all parties to cease hostilities immediately”, Trudeau said.
Since July 2015, 4,611 patients have been treated at the hospital, the main health centre functioning in the western part of Hajjah Governorate.
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Two more patients died while they were being transferred to another hospital, it added.
