July witnessed a sharp rise in the targeting of both the medical and relief sectors, with SHRC documenting the targeting of 24 hospitals and medical centres throughout the month- the highest average to be recorded in 2016 so far. The attacks were concentrated in the province of Aleppo, in which 15 of these hospitals were based. This is whilst five hospitals were targeted in Idlib, two in rural Damascus, and one in each of Hama and Daraa.
Almost all attacks on the hospitals and medical centres were carried out by Syrian regime forces and Russian war planes, with regime war planes implementing 13 of the attacks and Russian war planes implementing 10. One attack was carried out by the international alliance.
The acts of bombing also killed four members of medical staff during the month, including a doctor, two nurses and a pharmacist.
The number of attacks on relief and ambulance staff also witnessed a sharp and unprecedented rise, with SHRC documenting 22 attacks on ambulances, 13 of which were in Aleppo alone, as well as the targeting of four ambulatory mechanisms belonging to the civil defence and other relief organisations, all based in Aleppo.
In addition, 12 centres and teams belonging to the civil defence were targeted by war planes and artillery bombing, all of which took place in Aleppo with the exception of one in rural Damascus.
These attacks killed seven officers of the civil defence in total, and two activist relief workers, as well as injuring eight others to various degrees.