Syria: Al Quds Hospital Death Toll Rises to 55

The death toll from the April 27 airstrikes on Al Quds hospital in Aleppo, Syria, has climbed to 55, after more bodies were found in the rubble, according to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which supports the hospital.

The airstrikes first hit buildings neighboring the hospital, then the hospital itself as the wounded were transferred there.

Al Quds is the main pediatric referral hospital in Aleppo, and those killed include six staff members, including one of the last pediatricians in the city, a dentist, two nurses, a technician, and a guard.

"Aleppo is under fire, with people reportedly having no choice but to stay and die," said Muskilda Zancada, MSF head of mission for Syria. "Airstrikes continue to target hospitals and civilian areas. People devastated by years of war are trapped in this nightmare, dependent on humanitarian aid and without the resources to leave."

In recent days, airstrikes have also hit warehouses in which medical donations and equipment are stored before being delivered to health care facilities. This includes the Pre Hospital System managed by the Aleppo Directorate of Health, to which MSF is one of the donors. Civilians have been killed in these attacks and ambulances, medical donations, and other essential items have been destroyed.

"We ask, 'What is being done to stop this carnage?'" Zancada said. "Where is the action to save what is left of Aleppo and ensure that civilians are protected from the fire?"

It will be at least two weeks before the hospital will be able to reopen – efforts are focused on repairing and rehabilitating what can be salvaged.

The emergency room and laboratory have been completely destroyed, including essential equipment and drugs. The pediatric unit has been almost entirely destroyed, including seven incubators. MSF is committed to helping the hospital with whatever support it may need now and in the future.