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A boy is pulled from the rubble after an air strike in Aleppo

Missile attacks on schools and hospitals in Syria have been condemned by the United Nations and international leaders.

Almost 50 civilians were killed when five medical facilities and two schools in rebel-held areas were reportedly struck yesterday.

The UN called the attacks a blatant violation of international law. A spokesman said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon听was 鈥渄eeply concerned by reports of missile attacks on at least five medical facilities and two schools in Aleppo and in Idlib, which killed close to 50 civilians, including children, and injuring many鈥�.

Turkey accused Russia of听an 鈥渙bvious war crime鈥� 鈥� but the Kremlin rejected the claim that its planes were behind the attacks.

Missiles hit a children's hospital and a school sheltering听internally displaced people in the northern town of Azaz, the last rebel stronghold before the border with Turkey. A hospital in the town of Marat Numan in the province of Idlib,听south of Aleppo, was also hit.

鈥淲e have been moving scores of screaming children from the听hospital,鈥� medic Juma Rahal told Reuters news agency, following the missile strikes.听At least two children were killed and ambulances ferried scores听of injured people to Turkey for treatment, he said.

More than half of all attacks on schools worldwide in the last four years have occurred in Syria, . It said there had been more than 4000 attacks on schools since the conflict began.

A World at School told last week how seven schools run by activist groups in Aleppo because of missile strikes.

Attacks on education across the world have been increasing in recent years. Students, teachers and school buildings have been attacked in more than 70 countries in recent years 鈥� by armed groups, state soldiers and criminal gangs.

To counteract this, more than 50 countries have now signed the . It commits them to protect education from attack and to use the .