Statement issued by “Rights Monitor” Serious concerns over the commission of a massacre against civilians and medical personnel at “Khaled Fajr” Hospital in Sheikh Maqsoud – Aleppo
“Rights Monitor”, Human Rights Monitor Platform in Syria, expresses its deep concern over the grave military developments taking place in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, which is predominantly Kurdish, in the city of Aleppo in northern Syria, against the backdrop of the ongoing military escalation since Tuesday, 6 January 2026. This escalation has taken the form of intense and continuous shelling carried out by the forces of the temporary authority represented by “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham”.
The platform affirms that its concerns are intensifying in light of the repeated targeting of “Khaled Fajr” Hospital, which is considered a civilian medical facility protected under the provisions of international humanitarian law. Over the past days, the hospital has been subjected to heavy and continuous shelling, which “Rights Monitor” documented through video footage showing fires breaking out and severe damage to the hospital building.
On the evening of Friday, 9 January 2026, heavy shelling carried out by the forces of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” resulted in casualties among medical staff inside “Khaled Fajr” Hospital, in a blatant violation of the principles of distinction and protection of civilian objects. According to available information, artillery, mortar shells, rockets, and drones were used in the attacks, causing widespread destruction to the hospital and exposing the lives of patients, wounded persons, and medical personnel to grave danger.
Video footage recorded on 9 January 2026 from inside the hospital also shows catastrophic humanitarian conditions, as wounded individuals were forced to lie on the ground due to severe overcrowding and parts of the hospital being put out of service, amid the inability of medical staff to respond to the growing numbers of injured as a result of shelling that targeted Kurdish neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo.
The concerns of “Rights Monitor” are further heightened in light of the repeated pattern of serious violations against medical personnel. The platform documented an incident of summary execution that occurred on the evening of Thursday, 8 January 2026, involving the execution of two health sector workers inside Othman Hospital in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Aleppo. Available information indicates that gunmen affiliated with the forces of the temporary authority stormed the hospital, restrained the two victims, and then executed them by gunfire inside the medical facility during the early morning hours, in a crime amounting to deliberate killing.
Targeting medical facilities and health workers constitutes a grave violation of the provisions of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, particularly the Fourth Convention, as well as the provisions of the First Additional Protocol of 1977, which explicitly stipulate the obligation to respect and protect medical units and personnel at all times. Such acts also constitute a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which criminalizes deliberate attacks on hospitals and protected persons.
In addition, these acts violate the right to life and the right to health guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which oblige all parties, including de facto authorities, to respect these rights without discrimination.
Accordingly, Rights Monitor calls for the following:
The immediate cessation of all attacks on “Khaled Fajr” Hospital and all medical facilities in the city of Aleppo.
Ensuring the protection of civilians and medical personnel and respecting the principles of distinction and proportionality in military operations.
Opening independent and transparent investigations into all documented violations and holding those responsible accountable without impunity.
Enabling medical and humanitarian teams to have safe and unimpeded access to affected areas.
“Rights Monitor”, the Human Rights Observer platform in Syria, holds the forces of the temporary authority, foremost among them “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham”, fully legally responsible for these violations, and warns that their continuation may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity requiring international accountability.
Rights Monitor Human Rights Monitor Platform in Syria 10 January 2026
