UNITED NATIONS officials have condemned Saturday’s missile attack on a hospital on the outskirts of the capital Tripoli which is believed to have killed at least five doctors.

Libya’s health ministry blamed the attack on a warplane belonging to the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Khalifa Haftar.  

The LNA had not commented as the Star went to press.

The bombing of the field hospital at Zawiyah has deprived thousands of people of access to basic services, UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Libya Berangere Boell-Yousfi said.

She also condemned the “disgraceful shelling” of Al-Alamain school. While there were no casualties, “the attack further hampers children from accessing their basic right to education, a cornerstone for peace and development,” she said.

Libya has descended into chaos since the Western-backed removal from power and subsequent killing of Muammar Gadaffi in 2011.

Civil war led to the emergence of two parallel governments: the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli and Gen Haftar’s LNA in Tobruk.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 1,100 people have been killed since Gen Haftar announced plans to take control of Tripoli in April.