U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington is "outraged" by air strikes on a hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo that killed dozens and injured many others.
Kerry said on April 28 in Washington that the attack matched a pattern by Syrian warplanes on health-care facilities that "have killed hundreds of innocent Syrians" during the country's civil war, which began in 2011.
He said the previous day's attack on the Al-Quds hospital in Aleppo, which is supported by the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, had "killed dozens of people, including children, patients, and medical personnel."
Kerry said Russia has "an urgent responsibility to press the [Syrian] regime to fulfill its commitments" under Security Council Resolution 2254 to stop its attacks on civilians and medical facilities.
The attack was the latest in a string this week that has seen more than 150 civilians killed since April 22. Russia has been conducting air strikes in conjunction with Syrian warplanes against opposition forces and Islamic groups since September.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura appealed to the presidents of the United States and Russia to intervene to salvage a cease-fire that was "barely alive."
Jan Egeland, the head of the UN humanitarian task force on Syria, said on April 28 that there had been a “catastrophic deterioration” of the situation in Aleppo and parts of Homs during the previous 48 hours.
He said the strikes on the hospital and neighboring buildings had killed more than 60 civilians.
Egeland said he “cannot express how high the stakes are for the next hours and days” as diplomats try to restore a fragile cease-fire deal that is in tatters.
Syria's army on April 28 denied that it intentionally targeted the hospital.
