UNICEF Deplores Attack on Primary School in Syria

In Aleppo, Syria, four-year-old Esraa and her brother Waleed, three, sit on the ground near a shelter for internally displaced persons. Photo: UNICEF / Al-Issa

UNICEF has deplored Tuesday’s attack on the “That al-Netaqeen” primary school in the city of Daraa which killed five school children, aged between four and 16, and left 15 other children injured.

“The conflict in Syria has plummeted to such lows that children are now risking their lives just to attend school,” said Hanaa Singer, UNICEF representative in Syria.

The school yard was hit at the end of an outdoor sports session. The attack comes just a few weeks after the start of the school year and amid escalating violence across the country.

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“On top of their daily misery, even the right to learn and play is taken away from children in Syria. Death and injury of children has become a daily reality. The killing must stop,” said Hanaa Singer.

UNICEF has reiterated its calls to all parties to the conflict to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect children and schools.