A UK charity working in Syria has told of ruthless attacks in the country leaving homes, hospitals and people devastated.

SKT Welfare says the recent escalation in Idlib has seen tens of thousands are fleeing to the Turkish border, and thousands more trapped inside Syria are in urgent need of aid.

This most recent round of attacks is being considered among the most serious to date, as children bear the brunt, and hospitals are being systematically and openly targeted, in and around the Idlib area.

SKT Welfare has been running Al Huda Hospital near Idlib since 2014, treating thousands of patients each day and conducting life-saving operations, free of cost.

The Hospital serves over 1 million Syrians and offers lifesaving treatment 24 hours a day with facilities including emergency, neurology, surgery, paediatrics and maternity being the most utilised.

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In recent attacks over the last few days, Al Huda Hospital has once again been attacked. It has been targeted 10 times since the conflict began.

Although it caused serious collateral damage, thankfully no one was injured as the hospital had been evacuated, pre-empting such an attack.

With increased bombardments, and an awareness that hospitals are being deliberately targeted, our teams were able to prepare effectively.

Several essential staff chose to remain behind to help through these dark times, to help those most severely injured. The dedication and bravery of our staff is immeasurable.

The hospital has not been fully functional since recent attacks began, and it has been treating only emergency cases.

Thanks to the dedicated staff Al Huda Hospital is continuing to treat emergency cases with facilities being moved underground. Resources are extremely stretched as there is an increase in wounded civilians.

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Asif Hussain CEO of SKT Welfare said, “We pray for the people of Syria and aim for Al Huda Hospital to be once again fully functional in the near future. However we continue to provide emergency care to those in most need. Our brave, dedicated staff risk their lives every single day to help their fellow people through these very testing times. Our prayers go out to the staff and their families.”

Turkey is currently the largest host of Syrian refugees, with over 3.6million Syrian refugees currently living there, one million of whom are near the Turkey-Syria border. Official refugee camps in Turkey are already at full capacity.

The war in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions since it began in 2011. The conflict has been concentrated in and around Idlib, North Western Syria. UNICEF estimates that more than 300,000 have been displaced since December alone, and that 1.2 million children are in desperate need.