Published on: 2026-08-14
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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August 14, 2026 Healthcare
In 2026 alone, the World Health Organization recorded 914 attacks on medical facilities and personnel, resulting in at least 911 deaths and 1,486 injuries. This amounts to more than four attacks every day.
Speaking on Friday at a briefing in Geneva, WHO Director for Emergency Management and Humanitarian Operations Altaf Musani reported that since 2018, more than 10,400 attacks on healthcare facilities have been documented. As a result of these attacks, around 5,700 people have died and another 8,500 were injured.
This year, Ukraine, Lebanon, and the occupied Palestinian territory were the most affected by attacks on the medical system. Attacks on healthcare facilities were also recorded in Myanmar, Iran, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, the Russian Federation, Syria, and Nigeria. The most common type of attacks in 2026 were strikes with heavy weapons.
Widespread consequences
Musani emphasized that the consequences of attacks on the healthcare system are not limited to immediate physical damage, and statistics do not reflect the full depth of the problem.
“When a hospital is attacked, the consequences are felt not only by the people inside it,” he noted. According to him, this means that in the days following the attack, patients are unable to receive the necessary services, medical staff lose their jobs, and deliveries of life-saving medicines are halted.
As noted by a WHO representative, the organization has an increasing amount of data confirming that the consequences of such attacks can be extensive and long-lasting. For example, a study conducted in northwest Syria showed that after the attacks, the number of outpatient consultations the following day decreased by 51 percent, with this situation persisting for up to 37 days.
Hospitals of Ukraine
Speaking about Ukraine, Musani stated that since the start of the full-scale war, the WHO has confirmed more than three thousand attacks affecting not only medical facilities but also ambulances, warehouses, and supply chains.
A UN agency representative reported that in 2026 the organization registered 156 attacks on healthcare facilities, including an attack on a WHO warehouse that occurred last week.
According to him, such attacks directly affect the organization’s ability to deliver medical supplies both to institutions located in frontline areas and to hospitals involved in the restoration of the healthcare system.
“This directly affects both the patients and the medical staff who provide them with vital care every day,” Musani emphasized.
Destructive conflicts
In Sudan, as of 2026, 37 percent of medical facilities were reported to be non-functional.
Musani also reported that the WHO continues to record attacks on healthcare facilities during the conflict in the Middle East, including in Lebanon, Israel, and Iran.
All 36 hospitals in the Gaza enclave were damaged, with only half of them continuing to operate partially. The primary healthcare system was also severely affected.
During the current Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, 12 attacks on healthcare facilities have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since May 2026. These attacks hinder case detection and epidemic containment.
“Every damaged medical facility means the loss of services, and every interrupted service is a person who may be left without medical care,” Musani emphasized.
Bringing the guilty to justice
Responding to journalists’ questions about holding those responsible accountable, the WHO representative noted that the organization neither has the appropriate mandate nor the necessary authority.
“Unfortunately, out of more than 10,000 confirmed attacks, not a single one has yet become the subject of a procedure to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Musani said.
The WHO Director-General has repeatedly called for holding parties to the conflict accountable for such violations.
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