Rescue workers in Syria have staged protests against the killing of colleagues, the latest attack on humanitarian personnel in the war-hit country.

Seven members of the Syrian civil defence – known globally as the White Helmets, volunteers who rescue victims from the rubble after airstrikes in opposition-held areas of Syria – were shot dead by unknown assailants on Saturday in Sarmin, a town in Idlib province, which borders Turkey.

White Helmet volunteers held vigils across Syria on Sunday, carrying signs that read “Save White Helmets” and “The men of civil defence are used to saving civilian lives, but found none to save theirs”. “Every one of you has a story with the wounded and you have given your blood to save others,” said Raed al-Saleh, head of the White Helmets. “I hold all those who claim leadership responsible. You must uncover the criminals who carried out this heinous crime.” The Syrian civil defence said the attackers had also stolen two vans used to transport the wounded to hospitals and clinics..



Nearly 200 civil defence volunteers have been killed in the line of duty, mostly in attacks by Syrian government warplanes that target rescuers who arrive at the scene of an airstrike.

The White Helmets shot to fame when it was nominated for a Nobel peace prize. A film on the volunteers work won the 2017 Oscar for best short documentary, and the group claims to have saved more than 97,000 lives.

Idlib has long been under the control of a coalition of Islamist rebel groups and remains home to nearly 2 million civilians, including tens of thousands displaced from other parts of Syria.

Members of the Syrian civil defence volunteers bury their fellow comrades during a funeral in Sarmin on Saturday. Photograph: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images

In recent weeks the al-Qaida affiliate formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, and now Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has seized military control of much of the province from its rebel rivals.

All sides in the conflict in Syria have been accused of attacking aid and health workers, though the regime of Bashar al-Assad has been responsible for most abuses. The UN commission of inquiry has accused the government of systematically targeting health facilities.

US state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert condemned the attack, describing the White Helmets volunteers as “heroes”.

“These cowardly acts of masked men took the lives of civilian volunteers who work tirelessly as first responders in order to save lives in incredibly dangerous environments,” she said on Sunday night.

Physicians for Human Rights has documented 478 attacks on health facilities in Syria from March 2011 to June 2017, including 432 by the Syrian government and its allies and 20 by rebel groups. More than 800 medical personnel were killed during the same period.